Education Schemes
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-12
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Hildegarde Naughton (FG), Galway West

The schools will be notified. A design advisory group was established to inform the Department of the DEIS plus schemes. That group includes principals, home school liaison officers, school completion programme co-ordinators and professionals who work directly with these children. The Department has engaged with other Departments, agencies, education partners and stakeholders across the education sector to develop the scheme and make sure it is reaching those children and students who need the supports the most.
In 2024 and 2025, my Department carried out consultation workshops, focus groups and other engagements with key education stakeholders, including children and young people. That work has been ongoing and it is extremely important in informing development in this area.
Analysis of the HP deprivation index indicates that areas with high intergenerational disadvantage are primarily located in urban areas where poverty related challenges such as hunger, substance abuse, domestic abuse, parental incarceration, eviction and homelessness are most acute. These challenges are also reflected in schools in those areas where the outcomes for urban schools in the DEIS programme are lower than for DEIS schools in rural areas.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-12/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:02+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-12