Vol. 490 No. 7
219 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Education and Science if he has conducted a survey to establish the extent of bullying of teachers; and the plans, if any, he has to establish a code of discipline governing these incidences. [11105/98]
No survey has been carried out by my Department on the extent of bullying of teachers in schools. As the Deputy will be aware, the Health and Safety Authority is the body with national responsibility for health and safety matters. At the beginning of 1996, the authority issued a report of the Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health at first and second-level schools. This advisory committee included representatives of the partners in education, my Department and other interests. While this report did not identify bullying of teachers as a widespread issue I am very concerned by recent reports of bullying and other threats to the health and safety of teachers. Teachers, like other employees, are entitled to be feel safe and protected from all forms of bullying and intimidation in their working environment.
Under the health and safety legislation, school managerial authorities, in their role as employers, are responsible for ensuring the safety and health of their employees. This duty requires the drawing up a safety statement for the school in consultation with those at risk. The statement should identify potential hazards and assess the risks to health and safety.
Bullying should be considered as a potential hazard and assessed accordingly. Where there is a risk to health and safety from bullying, school based measures should be devised to prevent and deal with such behaviour, and create an awareness within the school that bullying behaviour is unacceptable.
We know that bullying thrives in an atmosphere of uncertainty and secrecy in which the victim often feels a sense of hopelessness and futility against the power exercised by the bully. A high degree of collective vigilance is needed throughout the school community if bullying behaviour is to be identified and firmly dealt with.
My Department is at present finalising, in consultation with teacher trades union and management bodies, a circular on the issue of violence against teachers. The proposed circular will draw the attention of school management authorities to the following issues:- the duty of school management authorities to provide a safe environment for employees and other persons present in the school, measures to be taken to prevent or minimise the risk of assaults to teachers and other staff employed in schools, and measures to be taken in support of staff who have been assaulted or threatened with assault and ensuring that appropriate action is taken to safeguard against a recurrence. I expect that this circular will issue shortly.
I am open to submissions from teacher and other school staff interests on the specific issue of bullying of teachers and if there is a need to address the issue further in the form of guidance to school management, I will do so in consultation with the partners and the Health and Safety Authority.
