Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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31. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she has had discussions with Tusla on the need to increase the budget to the school completion programme; her views on whether there is a need to restore funding to this community programme; and if she has satisfied herself that it is well funded. [33342/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Tusla has had operational responsibility for the School Completion Programme since 2014. This includes decisions on the allocation of funds to local projects. The aim of the School Completion Programme is to retain young people in the formal education system until they complete the senior cycle. The Programme is designed to improve school attendance and participation of young people who are at risk of educational disadvantage. The programme provides targeted supports annually to approximately 37,000 children.

The Economic and Social Research Institute reviewed the programme on behalf of Tusla and its report was published in October 2015. Tusla has taken a number of actions to address the findings of the review and to strengthen the operation of the programme for the future. My focus now is on ensuring that the reforms proposed in the review are implemented. I believe that we should examine the case for additional investment when these reforms have been achieved, particularly after the governance arrangements at local and national level have been put in place. The Agency has confirmed that the cost of funding the School Completion Programme in 2016 is €24.756m the same as 2014 and 2015.

I am pleased to note that the Programme is now achieving a school completion rate of over 90%. This is a welcome illustration of its effectiveness, and represents a 7% increase since 2006.

An important priority for me as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is to improve attendance and participation in education, particularly for vulnerable children. The Programme for Government commits to publishing a new School Completion Strategy to further improve school completion rates, particularly in disadvantaged areas. I will work closely with the Minister for Education and Skills in developing the new Strategy and in the context of the Government programme commitment to a new Action Plan for Educational Inclusion. The aim is to secure quality educational outcomes for all children, especially those at risk of educational disadvantage.