Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)
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470. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the means by which schools qualify for the DEIS+ programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63299/25]

Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)
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471. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when schools will be notified for the DEIS+ programme application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63300/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 470 and 471 together.

Tackling educational disadvantage and helping students reach their full potential is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth. Currently, the DEIS programme supports almost 1,200 primary and post-primary schools, reaching approximately 260,000 students, with an annual investment of over €180 million. Budget 2026 allocates an additional €16 million in 2026, rising to €48 million in 2027, to support the implementation of the new DEIS Strategy and introduce the DEIS Plus scheme, which will commence in 2026.

The DEIS Plus scheme will provide additional support to schools with the highest levels of need, in line with the Government’s commitment. It will target a cohort of schools with high concentrations of children and young people experiencing intergenerational disadvantage where there is a significant gap in outcomes and there are barriers to those children and young people achieving their potential.

Schools will not be required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS Plus scheme. The process will be evidence-informed, using available data. The details of the DEIS Plus scheme are currently being finalised within an overall programme of work to tackle educational disadvantage and will be outlined in the new DEIS Strategy, which will be published before the end of the year.