Every week we hear explanations for the cuts in education and new punitive charges being levied by the Minister for Education and Science. We hear excuses from his PR people that they are in the interests of tackling inequity and disadvantage and addressing equality of opportunity. Is the Taoiseach aware of the scandalous situation that obtains at the newly formed National Education Welfare Board that is supposed to deal with absenteeism, not least in areas of disadvantage?

The Education Welfare Act was passed in 2000 yet not only are the new welfare officers not in place, the 40 who were in place under the 1926 Act have been idle in their offices since 2 June, when the 1926 Act expired. The budget of €13 million needed to put the service in place has been cut to €3.2 million. Almost 3,400 young people drop out of education before junior certificate and the estimated truancy level is 20% or higher in deprived areas. How can the Taoiseach justify his Minister for Education and Science prattling on about equity and equality of opportunity when kids in disadvantaged areas, for whom a school attendance service was supposed to be put in place following the 2000 Act, are still without education welfare officers and the people charged with that responsibility will now be unable to carry out their duties under the 2000 Act with the provision of a mere €3.2 million in the Estimates for next year?

I have no information that public servants are sitting in their offices doing nothing since the legislation was passed. The legislation was updated because the old legislation was not powerful enough for them to carry out their jobs in disadvantaged areas. I accept what the Deputy says, that these people are important in such areas. When the Act was passed, not only were the old staff retained, but additional staff were recruited. If Deputy Rabbitte says they are sitting in their offices I will have to investigate but the Minister for Education and Science has given priority to the legislation and has made it clear that he supports policies for areas of disadvantage and has made resources available to deal with them. I will have to see if these people are doing nothing but I doubt it. I have not heard from schools in my area that people are doing that.

We have put in place many schemes to help people from disadvantaged communities stay in education. We have extended the home-school community liaison programme, which is designed to deal with those who fall away from school. Large numbers do fall away, they do not even reach junior certificate, but the liaison programme deals with primary and post-primary schools in the designated disadvantaged areas and the scheme is working. The establishment of the National Education Welfare Board is going ahead and the stay in school initiative in primary and post-primary schools receives money from the Estimates. The only point I cannot answer is that about civil servants sitting doing nothing and I will investigate that.

This is the first time this term that I have seen the Taoiseach caught out without a page from his early morning beavers.

This is the page. There is nothing in it about civil servants doing nothing.

It is evident that the Taoiseach is winging it. The least important part of my question concerns the 35 welfare officers who, according to a letter I have from a solicitor working in the Children's Court in Smithfield, have been unable to do their jobs since 2 June. The most important part of it concerns the cut in the budget from €13 million to €3.2 million, preventing the establishment of a school attendance service in the parts of the Taoiseach's constituency and parts of my constituency that so badly need it, especially in mine because in County Dublin there is no school attendance service. The issue is the money needed to supply the education welfare officers to invigilate school attendance throughout the country, especially in disadvantaged areas. How can the Minister reconcile that with his supposed concern for equality? Is it not the case that if the penalty point system applied to the bogus promises of this Government, the entire Cabinet, if it chose to attend, would be off the road for longer than Dunphy?

The significant point for me was that we had changed the legislation and taken on more staff and the Deputy alleges they are doing nothing. My note tells me that the National Education Welfare Board has been established, is promoting school attendance and is involved in early school leaving initiatives. Either my note is wrong or the Deputy is wrong.

The Taoiseach does not have a note.

My note states that the National Educational Welfare Board has been set up and that school attendants under the new legislation are now acting. They are working and engaged in preventing early school leaving. The stay in school initiative in post-primary schools—

The board has been set up but its officers are not able to work.

—has targeted additional resources of over €50,000 per school per annum in those schools with the greatest retention difficulties. Not only is the board established and in operation, but it brought in a new stay in school initiative. The Youthreach programme has been extended, child care services have been introduced to enable parents to access adult education, the National Learning Council for Parents has been extended and there is a litany of other initiatives in the Estimates for 2003.

None of which have anything to do with school attendance.

They are all concerned with helping those who drop out of school.

What does the National Learning Council for Parents have to do with it?

I will have to check what the Deputy says, that this note is entirely wrong and that the people on the welfare board are sitting around doing nothing. I will check whether that is true.