Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
Question:221 Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Science his legislative priorities for 2003 and for the remainder of the 29th Dáil. [6320/03]
Written Answers - Legislative Programme.
I thank the Deputy for giving me an opportunity to outline my legislative priorities for the remainder of this year and the term of this House.
The Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill will provide a statutory framework within which the education of children and people who have special educational needs because of disabilities can be guaranteed. It will ensure provision for people with special educational needs through a dedicated mediation and appeals system and set out a range of services which must be provided. It will also establish the National Council for Special Education which will have responsibility for planning and co-ordinating the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs. The consultation process on the Bill, which was extended due to the strong interest in the subject, has now been completed and I intend to seek Government approval for amendments to a revised Bill in the very near future.
Preparation for a Bill concerning people who are considered unsafe to work with children is currently ongoing in my Department. The aim of the Bill would be to establish a confidential mechanism for the identification of people who are considered unsafe to work with children and young people. It would establish a register for persons who are considered unsafe to work with children and a framework of liaison between the relevant bodies in the health, justice and education spheres. It would also facilitate co-operation with the agencies responsible for the maintenance of a similar register in the United Kingdom.
The Higher Education Authority (Amendment) Bill will transfer funding of the institutes of technology from my Department to the Higher Education Authority and transfer responsibility for certain operational matters of the institutes of technology to the HEA. These proposals have been approved in the Cromien review of my Department.
Finally, the Grangegorman Development Agency Bill will establish a statutory body which will oversee the development of a modern new campus at Grangegorman, Dublin for the Dublin Institute of Technology and for upgraded facilities of the Eastern Regional Health Authority. The Bill will allow the new agency to commence work on an integrated urban design and land use framework plan for the Grangegorman site and to manage the development of the site as agent for the ERHA, the Dublin Institute of Technology, the Department of Health and Children and my own Department. Work on the drafting of the heads of this Bill is at an early stage and I hope to bring proposals to Government in the near future.