Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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470. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which she has improved co-ordination and integration to delivery of services to the Traveller community across all Government Departments, particularly in the area of Traveller education through the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17479/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Current policy in relation to Traveller education is underpinned by the Report and Recommendations for a Traveller Education Strategy which was developed following wide ranging consultation with relevant stakeholders including Traveller representative groups.

The principle of inclusion is at the core of the Strategy and, accordingly, the focus of current provision is on the development of a more inclusive school environment through the whole school planning process, teaching practice, admissions policies, codes of behaviour and whole school evaluation. In keeping with this principle, additional resources provided in the education system are allocated on the basis of identified individual educational need rather than that of ethnic or cultural background.

The Traveller Education Strategy Advisory and Consultative Forum (TESACF) has responsibility for overseeing the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Strategy. Membership of the Forum includes Traveller representative groups, representatives of the education partners and of relevant policy areas of the Department of Education and Skills. The Child and Family Agency, Tusla, participates in the Forum in order to report on educational welfare matters relating to Traveller children and young people.My Department is represented on the newly established National Traveller & Roma Inclusion Strategy Steering Group to ensure an education perspective to National Traveller and Roma policy, as coordinated across all Government Departments by the Department of Justice and Equality.

The DEIS Programme is my Department's main policy initiative for tackling educational disadvantage for all children and young people. Additional supports provided under the DEIS School Support Programme are allocated to pupils on the basis of identified educational need.