Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 July 2020
506. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost to designate an additional ten schools as DEIS band 2; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18786/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraOver the 2019/20 school year my Department spent in the region of €125 million across 890 schools participating in the DEIS programme, serving in excess of 185,000 children. The full list of supports available to DEIS schools is available on my Department's website at the following link
https://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/DEIS-Delivering-Equality-of-Opportunity-in-Schools-/DEIS-Supporting-Information/Supports-to-DEIS-Schools.html
Further expenditure is incurred on the School Meals Programme by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, and on the School Completion Programme, which is in the process of coming back under the remit of my Department from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.
It is not possible to definitively provide the total cost of expanding the DEIS programme to include a further 10 schools as the costs will vary from school to school depending on enrolment and the levels of disadvantage in individual schools. Supports provided vary depending on the level of disadvantage in a school.
