Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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142. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason education staff who were involved in delivering the summer provision are still waiting for their payments; when the payments will be made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57283/21]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Earlier this year, my Department announced the provision of a significantly expanded summer education programme for pupils with complex special educational needs and those at greatest risk of educational disadvantage, as a COVID-19 pandemic response. I am pleased to say that this has resulted in the biggest ever uptake of the programme during the summer period with the overall number of schools participating rising by 72% and the number of students by 60% over 2020. This is in addition to the supplementary programme run earlier in the year which had over 14,000 applicants.

Our first priority for payment in 2021 was for the supplementary programme, for which claims were paid in August 2021. For the school based element all fully completed claim forms were paid on or before 7th October 2021, which was earlier than the previous year despite an 85% increase in the number of participants.

For the home based element of the programme there was a significant increase in the number and complexity of claims involved and while the majority were paid by the 28 October 2021, unfortunately there was a delay in some payments issuing. The remaining fully complete claims will be paid in the next payroll run on 25 November.

Claims are processed and paid when all outstanding queries are fully resolved. Where there are outstanding issues, claimants have been contacted directly with a view to resolving as quickly as possible.