Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 March 2026
423. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the new DEIS+ scheme is being developed under her Department's Education Plan 2025 as promised by the previous Minister; if implementation is still due to start in September 2026; when detailed criteria, the application process and the required documentation will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16369/26]
View answerTackling educational disadvantage and helping students reach their full potential is a priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth. Currently, the DEIS programme supports almost 1,200 primary and post-primary schools, reaching approximately 260,000 students, with an annual investment of over €180 million. Budget 2026 allocates an additional €16.5 million in 2026, rising to €48 million in 2027, to support the implementation of the new DEIS Strategy and to introduce the DEIS Plus scheme, which will commence this year.
The DEIS Plus scheme will provide additional support to schools with the highest levels of need, in line with the Government’s commitment. It will target a cohort of schools with high concentrations of children and young people experiencing intergenerational disadvantage where there is a significant gap in outcomes and there are barriers to those children and young people achieving their potential.
The details of the DEIS Plus scheme are currently being finalised within an overall programme of work to tackle educational disadvantage and will be outlined in the new DEIS Strategy, which will be published in the coming weeks. Future allocation of overall resources will be considered within the context of the new DEIS Strategy and the availability of resources.
Schools will not be required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS Plus scheme. The process to identify schools for inclusion will be evidence-informed, using available data.
