Vol. 504 No. 7
101 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Education and Science if he has presented to Government an estimate of the staffing and financial provision which will accompany the passing of the Education Welfare Bill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12813/99]
A Bill to replace the school attendance Acts has been drafted by the parliamentary draftsman's office and was published recently. As is the normal procedure in these cases, the Minister for Finance and his Department were consulted on the proposals in the Bill, including their financial implications, prior to Government approval for publication of the Bill.
Overall the Bill, when enacted, although incorporating existing school attendance services of local authorities, will involve the allocation of additional resources, as a result mainly of the establishment of the national educational welfare board and the extension of the school-leaving age to 16. It is difficult to predict with accuracy the likely costs involved. However, the total costs are unlikely to exceed IR£4.5 million (5.74 million euros) over the period to 2001.
