Vol. 454 No. 1
13 Mr. Martin asked the Minister for Education if she intends to establish a proper and statute-based system of inquiry within her Department to ensure that allegations of physical, sexual and verbal abuse of children in our schools can be fairly and comprehensively investigated. [10345/95]
I do not consider that a statutory system of inquiries to be conducted by my Department would be the best course to adopt in relation to abuse allegations and I do not intend to establish such a system.
The primary responsibility for the safety and welfare of children in schools and the disciplining of staff rests with the management authorities of schools who act for the owners of the schools. My responsibility is to ensure that schools have put in place appropriate procedures for dealing with abuse allegations and that they are implemented effectively.
As regards discipline in the teaching profession, arising from abuse allegations or otherwise, the White Paper proposes the setting up of a teaching council on a statutory basis which, among other things, will have responsibility for disciplinary procedures, registration and de-registration of teachers. The White Paper also gives commitments to legislate so as to give a statutory backing to the role of boards of management as employers of teachers.
Legislation will also give responsibilities to education boards for evaluating and monitoring the quality of education and extend the remit of the Ombudsman to education boards. This range of proposed statutory provision will provide adequate provision for investigating allegations of abuse and taking any necessary action.
At present guidelines relating to abuse allegations, agreed between my Department, primary and secondary school managements, parents and teachers, are in place. I will very shortly issue to all officials in my Department guidelines on how to deal with allegations of abuse of children made to them either in the course of their work or otherwise. In addition, the Department of Health and the Garda have recently issued guidelines which will co-ordinate their services.
I want to indicate my incredulity at the Minister's reply. Will she not agree that she and her Department are abandoning responsibility for the protection of children in our schools? In the light of the Ardara experience in Donegal, where the Minister saw a role for her Department and where an inquiry was established which later proved to be deficient, will she agree that the fact that parents do not have any facility to make a complaint or have a complaint fairly and comprehensively investigated is an appalling indictment of the Department? Will the Minister reconsider her position in the light of the Ardara experience and the fact that boards of management do not have the expertise at their disposal to investigate allegations of physical, sexual and verbal abuse of children?
I absolutely refute the accusation made by Deputy Martin that we are abandoning children. I refer the Deputy to the White Paper and the various changes proposed in it. Changes are proposed which will involve the boards of management whose functions will be put on a statutory basis. An appeals mechanism will be established which will be available to parents through the education boards. The remit of the Ombudsman will be extended to the education boards.
To suggest that the expertise is not available to members of the board of management is to totally ignore the in-career investment being made by the Department of Education through the parents' council on the training of parents. I, as Minister for Education am not the owner of most of the schools, including the one to which the Deputy refers which is privately owned but publicly funded.
The Minister set up an inquiry and that indicated she had a role.
I did set up an inquiry but it collapsed because those who sought it did not give evidence.
It was a defectively based inquiry.
The Deputy should watch what he puts on the record of the House as he knows what happens.
I have spoken to the parties involved.
Would the Deputy prefer if I sat down?
I would like an opportunity to ask another Supplementary Question.
Our time is exhausted for Priority Questions.
That inquiry did not proceed because those who had sought it and appeared willing to give evidence then decided not to give evidence. That is a specific case and it has been referred to the patron of the school for effective action. The matter is not closed.
It is the Minister's responsibility to ensure that allegations of physical, sexual and verbal abuse of children can be investigated fairly and comprehensively. I refer the Deputy to the changes being put in place following the publication of the White Paper, the statutory establishment of boards of management and with the role of the parents' associations in the schools. The parents' organisations have sought for a long time an appeals mechanism to the education board and this has been put in place. The remit of the Ombudsman has been extended to the education board. I am satisfied, given the other agencies that have been put in place and the competence of the board of management to deal with its business, that accusations will be dealt with in the right way.
May I re-enter Question No. 14 until the next day?
