Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 22 Mar 1994

Vol. 440 No. 4

Written Answers. - Dundalk (Louth) School.

Michael Bell

Ceist:

388 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Education if St. Nicholas' Monastery national school Dundalk, County Louth will be included in the new group of schools being designated as disadvantaged for staffing purposes; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that based on the enrolment on 30 September 1993 of 301 families with children in the school, 40.5 per cent of families are medical card holders, in 53 per cent of families neither parent is employed and 35 per cent of families are local authority tenants, 42 of whom are single parents; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Dermot Ahern

Ceist:

397 Mr. D. Ahern asked the Minister for Education if she will consider designating St. Nicholas' Monastery national school, Dundalk, County Louth as disadvantaged for staffing purposes; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Education (Ms Bhreathnach)

I propose to take Question Nos. 388 and 397 together.

I am aware that the school in question has applied for disadvantaged area status.

Schools are selected for inclusion in the disadvantaged areas scheme on the basis of priority of need as reflected by a range of socio-economic criteria.

Factors taken into account include the incidence of unemployment, local authority housing and medical card holders among the parents of the children concerned. Account is also taken of the views of my Department's Inspectorate on the relative levels of need between applicant schools.

As I recently announced in the context of the 1994 Education Budget, I intend that a further 50 primary schools will be designated as disadvantaged for capitation grant purposes in the current year. I am also allocating an additional 150 teaching posts in the current year to improve staffing levels in the primary sector.

The position of the school in question will be considered in the context of these developments.