Vol. 432 No. 1
8 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the fact that ten school attendance officer vacancies in Dublin have not been filled and that, as a result, non-attendance at school by children who are at risk is high; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Under the School Attendance Act, 1926, the appointment of school attendance officers and provision for their remuneration are matters for the appropriate council of the county borough, in this case Dublin Corporation.
If the corporation proposed the appointment of officers to fill current vacancies I would be happy to sanction such appointments. Of course it would be a matter for the corporation to fund the posts.
The Green Paper proposes a review of the working of the School Attendance Act, including an examination of the roles and responsibilities of the various agencies involved. This review is under way and there will be consultations with all the interested parties. The outcome of the review will be taken into account in framing the forthcoming White Paper.
Is the Minister aware that, while the city council pays, her Department reimburses it for the service? Furthermore, is the Minister aware that 119 schools in Dublin do not have school attendance officers; that 43 of the 119 schools in Dublin are located in the Dublin 8 postal area, with huge social problems, caused by drugs and so on? Is she aware that, in such circumstances, in which both parents may be drug addicts, which is quite common in this area, there is no interest in education? Is she also aware that non-attendance at school is a major problem in this area and that the only solution is to appoint qualified school attendance officers to ensure the requisite level of service?
The Deputy will probably be aware, in particular within the Dublin Corporation area, that there is a number of vacancies. There have been talks between my Department and Dublin Corporation within different committees. The hope is that, instead of committees within Dublin Corporation dealing with different areas, there will be just one which would allow the Minister to deal only with the committee concerned with that area. If there was only one committee — and the city manager understands that the city council is in agreement with such proposals — the city manager has indicated we could deal with the specific problem in the Dublin city area. I should emphasise that my Department has no interest in hindering such appointments because such officers have played a useful role.
Although, as I indicated to the House, the school attendance committee system is being reviewed, as promised when the Green Paper was published, and as will be dealt with in legislation which has been promised, if Dublin Corporation agrees that five committees should be replaced with one, the Department would be delighted to see that committee and indeed other committees working. School attendance committees have responsibility in the areas covered by Cork, Dublin, Limerick and Waterford corporations and in the Blackrock and Dún Laoghaire urban areas while in county council areas the Garda have responsibility for enforcing the provisions dealing with school attendance. In certain areas the Department is making greater use of the home-school liaison service.
When children fail to turn up at school — in this regard one may consider that the Garda should enforce the provisions and that it pertains to a wider social problem — the Department makes use of this link so that the matter is addressed in an informal way between the school authorities, the teacher and the parents. We all agree that this is one of the most successful services in areas in which there are major social problems which lead to children not turning up at school and parents not pursuing the matter. It would be welcome if Dublin Corporation decides to establish one committee and I have no intention of hindering that process.
Deputy J. Higgins rose.
I am concerned that time is fast running out. There are two remaining questions and I ask the Deputy to allow me to call Question No. 10 in his name so that I may have a chance to deal with Question No. 11.
