Vol. 492 No. 7
75 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 302 of 6 May 1998 relating to absenteeism in Dublin's second level schools, when he will announce the mechanism referred to therein to quantify the number of students who fall outside the education system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14879/98]
Discussions have yet to take place with the partners in education regarding the development and implementation of an appropriate mechanism for the purpose of providing statistics relating to pupils who are excluded from school or otherwise fall outside the school system. Forthcoming legislation relating to school attendance generally may provide a useful background and context for these discussions.
I expect to be in a position to initiate these discussions soon and when they are complete, I will make a further announcement in relation to this matter.
