Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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110. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she plans to formally include schools (details supplied) as DEIS band one schools in the context of the recent review by her Department of the DEIS scheme; the timeline for the implementation of the recommendations of the review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56333/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Budget 2022 has provided for an allocation of €18million for 2022 and €32million for 2023 to extend the DEIS programme to further schools with the highest levels of disadvantage. This represents an increase of over 20% in funding for the DEIS programme and will enable an expansion in 2022 of the programme to further schools.

This package follows an extensive body of work which has been under taken by the DEIS technical group in relation to the development of a model to identify the concentrated levels of disadvantage of schools. The refined model is an objective, statistics based process, based on school enrolment data and data available from Census 2016 under the HP Deprivation Index. It is important to note that there is no application process for inclusion in the DEIS programme and all schools, including the schools referred to by the Deputy will be considered for inclusion.

This work involved an initial process of consultation by my Department with the education partners on the technical aspects of the model. Over the coming weeks, there will be further consultation with relevant stakeholders to outline the components of the model. The purpose is to ensure that, as far as possible, the refined DEIS identification model can provide an objective and independent means of identifying schools serving high concentrations of pupils at risk of educational disadvantage and also to ensure there is a full understanding of the refined model and its potential application.