Educational Disadvantage
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-26
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Niall Collins (FF), Limerick County

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and giving us the opportunity to discuss it. The Department of Education and Youth is committed to supporting a high quality and inclusive school system that provides an equal opportunity for success for all children. DEIS remains central to that commitment and the forthcoming DEIS strategy will ensure that supports are targeted fairly and reflect the evolving needs of our school communities, informed by stakeholder engagement and a strengthened, needs-based allocation model. As part of the new ten-year strategy, the Department will review the current DEIS framework with a view to refining how disadvantage is measured and how schools are supported. This process will take account of a range of evidence and stakeholder feedback to ensure that schools serving significant levels of need are appropriately recognised in the updated model. The refinement of the DEIS model as part of the new strategy will consider how emerging or evolving patterns of disadvantage can be better addressed and how the system can best respond to schools that face increasing levels of need.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:42+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-26