To be clear, I appreciate and acknowledge the value of the school completion programme and see the work it does on the ground. We are looking at an holistic approach between school completion, home school community liaison and so on to ensure students and young people at risk of early school-leaving will be supported insofar as possible to maintain their presence in school and to succeed. I reiterate that the initial focus of the transfer of the school completion programme has been very much on the development of t…

I very much appreciate the Deputy's points and am conscious of the disparity that exists. I am also conscious of the value and importance of the work being done on school completion programmes. The jurisdiction of the SCP coming into my remit is a relatively recent move. I wanted to be fair and honest in saying there had to be considerable work in that respect from a legislative point of view but I am aware of the differences of approach and of impact in terms of staffing throughout the country. The next body of wo…

As the Deputy is aware, the school transport scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. It is important to look at the figures. In the most recent school year, more than 121,400 children, including more than 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. The cost of the scheme in 2021 was €289 million. It is an important service for families and children. The purpose of the schem…

I acknowledge the Deputy's ongoing commitment to this issue. The scheme for the waiving of school transport fees was very clear in that it applied to those students who met the eligibility criteria. We have outlined those criteria, which are that pupils must live more than 3.2 km from their nearest primary school or 4.8 km from their nearest post-primary school or, to include the temporary alleviation measures I introduced, their next nearest school. Those who have met those criteria are being catered for. The diff…

I thank the Deputy. I reiterate that we have seen an increase this year in the numbers who are eligible. We have also seen a 27% increase in the number of concessionary tickets offered this year compared with last year. It is a substantial increase. Notwithstanding that, the entire root-and-branch review will give us an opportunity to look at new opportunities into the future for enhancing and increasing eligibility and meeting the demand that exists.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 83 and 143 together. I do not have the full reply as I did not think we would get to these questions. I apologise to the Deputy for that and will provide her with the updated data. I take the opportunity to say the work NEPS does is absolutely invaluable, as the Deputy will appreciate. We have increased the number of staff in the service in recent years, including provision in the recent budget for the recruitment of an additional 54 psychologists. That recruitment process will begi…

I appreciate having the opportunity to confirm the Department has set up a high-level working group on this issue chaired by the Secretary General, which is a testament to the importance we are placing on how we advance the service provided by NEPS. The working group has agreed on a number of actions that will be taken. Following analysis of the various options that were laid out by the group, it has been decided the Department will use some available NEPS funding to sponsor a cohort of third-year students of the e…

I do not disagree with the value and importance of the work, as I have said. I think it is a positive that we can say that the high level working group, which is chaired by the Secretary General, underlining the importance that we in the Department place upon it, is looking at a whole variety of opportunities going forward. Among those is the decision that has been taken to sponsor a cohort of third year students for the 2022-2023 academic year by providing a contribution to their fees and associated expenses. Give…

As the Deputy is aware, the single biggest expansion of the DEIS programme was announced by me recently, with an investment of €17 million, increasing to €32 million next year. We are very conscious of the benefit of the DEIS programme. All analysis and studies on the programme show that it makes a considerable impact in our schools. We have grown it to such an extent that one in four of our students benefits from the DEIS programme. In terms of the review process, more than 300 schools were announced as benefiting…

I appreciate the point the Deputy has made. As I have outlined already, there is a detailed paper on the refined DEIS model, which is available on gov.ie . At its core, it is about identifying concentrated levels of disadvantage. That is the nub of it. I accept that schools may be in close proximity to one another, but they do not necessarily have the same cohort of students. Notwithstanding that, I think it is important to acknowledge that the expansion of the DEIS programme to new schools is just one phase of the…

I appreciate the Deputy's point that one school in an area may be awarded DEIS status and another may not. However, because it is about concentrated disadvantage, that will be the case unless the other school absolutely mirrors the school that is awarded DEIS status in terms of the entire student population. Again, I reiterate that a detailed paper on the refined DEIS identification model is available on gov.ie. I also recognise that there is a need to target resources at those schools that need them most. The next…

I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. It gives me the opportunity to set out for the House the position with regard to the delivery of school building projects under the national development plan in Dublin Mid-West. To plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a geographical information system using data from a range of sources to identify where the pressure for school places throughout the country will arise. …

I appreciate the Deputy's particular interest in all matters related to education. I acknowledge a fairly significant commitment in that there are more than 30 large-scale and additional school accommodation scheme projects currently at various stages of planning and delivery for the Dublin Mid-West area. That is a positive story to present this evening. I have taken the opportunity to reference so many of them, in particular, the Clondalkin school campus, which is at tender stage. Other projects are at various sta…

I thank Deputy McGrath for raising the issue. I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee. The Deputy will appreciate that under section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, as amended, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business, which includes the allocation of Garda resources. The Minister for Justice has no statutory role in regard to these operational policing matters. The Minister is assured that Garda management keeps the distribution …

Again, on behalf of the Minister for Justice, I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. The Minister would like to reassure him that Garda numbers have increased substantially in recent years, from 12,943 Garda members and 1,999 Garda staff in 2016 to 14,283 Garda members and 3,117 Garda staff at the end of August this year. This is an increase in gardaí of more than 10%. There has been an almost 56% increase in Garda staff in recent years. The Government has made an ongoing and firm commitment to support An Garda …

As the Deputy will be aware, I am presenting this information on behalf of the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin. Primary support for the arts is delivered by the Arts Council. In 2022, the Minister allocated a record €130 million to the Arts Council. She was pleased to retain the €130 million in funding for the council in 2023 in recognition of the transformational impact that funding has had on the development of the sector, enabling the council to support mo…

I thank the Deputy. Again, this reply has been delivered by me on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin. As outlined previously, primary support for the arts is delivered by the Arts Council. The topic raised by the Deputy asks that funding from the council for a gallery be extended to its in-house theatre. Under the Arts Act of 2003, the council is independent in its funding decisions and the Minister or officials in her Department cannot intervene in this decision-making. It would appear that this is a …

I thank the Deputy for his question and his ongoing interest in Cork Life Centre. The centre, in Sunday's Well, caters for young people who have encountered challenges in completing mainstream education. The centre is one of a number of such alternative education providers nationally. The Department of Education has provided funding to Cork Life Centre for the last number of years, with that support increasing significantly since 2018. In 2022 the Department will provide funding of €177,500, as well as 6,000 co-ope…

I reiterate that I am determined to ensure that the implementation of the recommendations of the review of out of school education provision will allow all children and young people to be supported throughout their education and to achieve their fullest potential. The review is successfully completed and we have now moved on to the implementation process and the work on that has already begun. I am very keen to see progress made on the implementation of the recommendations of the report. In the interim, the level o…

I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak on budget 2023 and how it pertains to education. I am joined by my colleague, the Minister of State with responsibility for special education, Deputy Madigan. Budget 2023 provides for an increase of more than €440 million in core funding for the Department of Education. This is a very significant increase and one that furthers the work of recent years in reducing class sizes, reducing costs for families, tackling disadvantage and supporting the achievement of all studen…