Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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25. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the delivering equality of opportunity in schools scheme; if he has decided to reinstate or replace it; the details of his decision given that almost seven years have passed since the scheme was temporarily suspended; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10833/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware, a process to review DEIS, the Action Plan for Social Inclusion, is ongoing. The majority of the review work programme is scheduled for completion by the end of the current school year.

The overall scope of the review is to assess the existing DEIS Programme in the context of evaluations to date and any relevant policy and other developments, in order to inform future policy on educational disadvantage.

The review project involves a number of strands:

- Stakeholder consultation is a key component of the process and, at the outset, the education partners were invited for their views on both the current and future operation of the programme. Comprehensive submissions were received and are being considered as part of the review. Further stakeholder engagement will take place over the coming weeks including an Education Partners Forum which is to take place on 23 May 2016.

- An internal DEIS Advisory Group within my Department is considering the make-up of the current DEIS School Support Programme in the context of the learning from the implementation of the programme to date and the input of education stakeholders.

- An Interdepartmental Group is considering current and potential future supports to tackle educational disadvantage provided by other Government Departments and agencies in order to ensure greater cohesion and cross-sectoral cooperation for future service delivery.

- A Technical Advisory Group is examining available data sources in order to develop an improved identification process for the inclusion of schools in any future resource allocation framework to tackle educational disadvantage.

During this process, all aspects of the DEIS programme are being considered including the identification of schools. Pending the outcome of the review process I do not propose to make any changes to the current programme.