2. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the roll out and funding of DEIS plus, as of November 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59395/25]

Sentiment score: 0.01

I appreciate that. With that design advisory group, are we on track to hopefully roll out DEIS plus for the academic year 2026-2027? Is that the priority for Government? In relation to the €16 million grant funding, that will not be the full amount to roll out DEIS plus in totality but is it the job of the design advisory group to come up with the specific schools or areas we were going to target first? If so, how do we pick those schools or areas? The Minister knows I am absolutely willing to work with her. At the centre of this are the most disadvantaged children across the country and the Minister will appreciate that the questions that are forthcoming constantly in relation to this are genuinely based on the need for extra supports in our communities.

Sentiment score: 0.18

DEIS plus is a welcome initiative and has been championed by my party and the former Deputy Ó Ríordáin, now an MEP. There has to be cross-party support for the roll-out of DEIS plus. It is about the implementation being as quick as possible because schools need it. Deputy O'Rourke and I met with a number of principals recently in the audiovisual room in relation to their schools and one point they focused on was the deputy principal role. I hope DEIS plus will help to tackle disadvantage in many schools across the country. We only have 0.75 of a deputy principal in one DEIS school in a socioeconomically disadvantaged area of Cork, for example. I do not doubt the Minister's bona fides on this. We just need to get it done as quickly as possible.

Sentiment score: 0.24