Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 October 2014
541. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has examined the changing of demographics in the context of the potential recategorisation of some new schools as DEIS in view of the existence of significant socio-economic disadvantage in certain new communities, particularly in the greater Dublin area. [40451/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, the DEIS programme is the subject of ongoing evaluation by both the Educational Research Centre and my Department's Inspectorate who have produced a series of evaluation reports to date, (copies of which are available on my Department's website). I have also recently commissioned a further overall report in relation to DEIS to provide recommendations for a renewal of Government policy in relation to educational disadvantage, including DEIS. Work on this report is currently underway. The current focus of my Department is on this ongoing evaluation and distilling the learning from the research to date while awaiting the outcome of the aforementioned report. My key priority is to continue to prioritise and target resources at schools with the most concentrated levels of disadvantage and there are no plans for any additonality to the DEIS programme at this time.
