I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 21 together.
The Report on the impact, in terms of posts, of Budget measures on DEIS Band 1 and Band 2 urban primary schools that still had additional posts allocated under disadvantage schemes, pre-dating DEIS was published earlier this week.
The legacy disadvantage posts date back to programmes such as Giving Children an Even Break and Breaking the Cycle. They were retained in a number of schools in addition to the normal posts and other supports that are allocated to all DEIS schools. The retention of these older posts in some but not all DEIS schools created a degree of inequity in the system and that is one of the reasons they were considered for withdrawal.
The Budget announcements followed on the Comprehensive Expenditure Review (CER) process. The objectives of the CER were to provide the Government with a comprehensive set of decision options. The approach taken by my Department in the CER process endeavoured to spread the adjustment burden equitably across different parts of the education system. This would ensure that education and training priorities continued to be the focus of policy and allocations. DEIS schools in disadvantaged areas would continue to be provided with targeted supports including preferential Pupil Teacher Ratios (PTRs) over and above mainstream schools.
Ultimately, given the state of the country's finances, difficult and unpalatable decisions have to be made.
I requested a report because conflicting and in some cases exaggerated numbers of posts were being reported as potentially lost to schools and it was necessary to obtain clarity with regard to the net effect of a range of factors on teacher allocations in these schools; for example, increasing and decreasing enrolments, the reforms to the existing teacher allocations process and up to date enrolments, all of which contribute to determining the staffing requirement for these schools for 2012/13 school year.
On foot of an analysis of the Report, the Government agreed to retain a total of 235 posts, on a concessionary basis, in DEIS Band 1 and DEIS Band 2 schools.
My Department's Social Inclusion Unit will now be writing to the schools concerned and all DEIS Band 1 schools separately in relation to their staffing allocations for 2012/13 school year.