Vol. 505 No. 5
140 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science the deadline for the completion of the White Paper on Early Childhood Education; the number of meetings, if any, he has had with the officials drafting this paper to review progress since the intention to produce a White Paper was first announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14150/99]
Work on a White Paper on Early Childhood Education is under way in my Department. This follows the National Forum for Early Childhood Education, which I hosted last year, and which provided an opportunity for all those involved in the area of early childhood education to come together and to share their views on future policy in the area. It is my intention to publish the White Paper as soon as possible.
Meetings and discussions with the officials drafting the material are a standard part of the development of a policy document such as the White Paper. Such discussions have taken place on an ongoing basis since the White Paper was first announced. Given the nature of the discussions, some of which are formal and some less formal, it would be impossible for me to provide the Deputy with a definite number of meetings. To be of assistance to the Deputy, I, for example, have discussed this issue with officials and others on three occasions in the past fortnight.
