Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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611. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of running the DEIS summer camp programme in 2020. [22119/21]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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616. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of pupils who participated in the DEIS summer camp programme in summer 2020. [22176/21]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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617. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost per pupil to participate in the DEIS summer camp programme in 2020. [22177/21]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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618. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if meals were provided to pupils taking part in the DEIS summer camp programme in 2020. [22178/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 611 and 616 to 618, inclusive, together.

My Department has provided funding for several years, to a number of DEIS Band 1 primary schools to organise a week long Literacy and Numeracy Summer Camp Programme/Campaí Samhraidh.

In 2020 in response to the challenges faced by schools due to Covid 19 school closures, my Department extended the summer programme so that all DEIS primary and DEIS post-primary schools were offered the opportunity to run a new week long programme. This programme was developed focusing on encouraging those students deemed most in need to reconnect with school, supporting their physical, social and emotional wellbeing and providing them with the skills they need to engage in a meaningful way with learning in the future.

In total in 2020, 286 DEIS Primary & Post Primary Schools ran summer programmes in 2020 with over 9,300 students participating. The total cost was €1,577,420. The funding was determined on a school basis; hence it is not possible to provide a cost per pupil as the cost varied across schools, depending on the numbers of pupils and teachers participating in each case.

School Meals funding was provided by the Department of Social Protection to DEIS schools participating in summer provision in 2020.