Seanad Éireann debate -
Thursday, 26 Sep 2013

Vol. 226 No. 5

Tackling Bullying in Schools: Statements (Resumed)

Senator Averil Power

I welcome the Minister who has been here on several occasions in the past year and a half to discuss the issue of bullying and mental health among young people, which reflects both the priority he has brought to this issue since he became Minister for Education and Skills and the interest that Senators have taken in it. During statements, in Private Members' time and when discussing legislation, Senators from all parties have expressed the view that this should be a priority and that we want to see the Government work on it. The process the Minister has undertaken through the action plan and in taking submissions from the education partners, from Fianna Fáil and from other Members of this House has been a good example of a partnership approach. It is perhaps also an example of the role of this House in feeding into legislation and into Government policy in a bipartisan way, and working with a Minister to get things done on an issue that is incredibly important to young people and their families. I commend the Minister on having taken that approach.

As the Minister rightly pointed out, bullying has a hugely debilitating effect on young people. At the very least, it makes it impossible for a young person to get the real opportunities they need at school. If somebody is depressed, upset or afraid of going to school, or afraid of turning on their phone between classes to see if somebody has sent them a text message or posted something nasty about them on the Internet - if a child is that unhappy - it is impossible for them to do well at school. That is very least effect it can have on students. At the most extreme, of course, it has led to young people taking their own lives, and we have had several high profile cases of this in recent years.

This is an incredibly important issue and one that needs focus at all levels. I welcome the fact the guidelines have now been published and the Minister has outlined the details of what they involve. There is no doubt the previous guidelines were wildly out of date, having been adopted in 1993, a time before most of us had computers on our desks, let alone smartphones and all the new gadgets that are now available. Cyberbullying was non-existent at that point whereas it is a huge issue now; there is no doubt, therefore, that the guidelines needed to be updated. Of course, there is now also much greater understanding of homophobia and the need for schools to ensure they do everything they can to crack down on homophobic bullying and ensure they are a safe place for all students, regardless of their sexual orientation or any other differences between them.

As the Minister pointed out, the guidelines are just one part of the action plan to tackle bullying. I welcome the fact he has announced training for parents, which is essential given that schools will only be able to tackle this issue if there is a true whole-school approach with teachers, parents and, in particular, students. I have spoken in the House before, as have other Members, about the BeLonGTo initiative and Stand Up!, and the Minister kindly ensured money was set aside to finance these initiatives. This shows it is peer support and peer-run initiatives that can often have a far greater impact than initiatives led by parents or teachers, where adults tell young people what they should do. There has to be a sense of community among young people, an awareness of what is and is not acceptable and a determination to stand up for each other, to look out for friends and to make sure bullying is not acceptable in any form. When that culture can be brought about among young people themselves, that is when we will really eradicate bullying from schools.

I last week attended the launch of ShoutOut, where third level students from my former alma mater, Trinity College Dublin, who are members of societies including the Phil and the LGBT Society have put together an initiative that sends third level students into second level schools, and they have received support from the US embassy to do so. The LGB students are fine ambassadors - we had some fine looking rugby players at the launch last week - and include male and female students of all different backgrounds, from different parts of the country and with different interests. I believe they will be a great inspiration when they go into second level schools and are able to say to young LGB students: "Whatever you are feeling now, things do get better. I have been where you are and I am now doing well in college and enjoying my life." To be able to hear that message directly from a student is very powerful, and I know they will also have an impact on non-LGB students in the school in terms of telling them what they needed from their friends at the time, and how that can make a difference.

I welcome all of that as part of the mix in regard to the bullying action plan the Minister has brought forward. However, I have a serious concern in regard to resources, which is an issue that has been raised by the education partners. While the schools should always have been dealing with bullying and positive mental health, it is somewhat contradictory to give them these extra responsibilities on guidelines and initiatives at a time when guidance counsellors have been cut and when schools are worrying about losing core teaching through an increase in class sizes and in the pupil-teacher ratio.

I agree with the Minister that dealing with bullying and promoting positive mental health cannot be the responsibility of one individual. We will not achieve any real culture change in a school through that kind of system. However, my concern with the guidance cuts is that, as much as everybody has to get involved in the broader project, it is essential there is a designated person in the school who has time for one-to-one counselling with students. I am particularly concerned that many of those services have been cut back in the health sector as well. Members are aware of the difficulties in getting children appointments through the child mental health services. The gap in the wider strategy, not just in education but also in the health sector, is in that one-to-one support. Organisations like Headstrong, which is doing amazing work with initiatives like Jigsaw, are working with schools in partnership and helping to give young people access to counselling, but Headstrong is still rolling out a programme and there are many counties it has not been able to reach yet. That is the big gap and I would like to see the Minister address it, both within education as well as by taking the issue up with the Minister for Health. It is not acceptable that when a young person presents with a mental health difficulty they cannot actually get help. We are always telling young people to talk, to ask for help and to seek support, yet when they or their families seek it, they cannot get it. I have a concern about the resources behind this.

I very much welcome the initiative. I commend the Minister for the personal priority he has given to bullying and to youth mental health. I assure him that he has our full support on this side of the House. I will take up his challenge about making local parents aware of the training initiatives and helping to promote the work that is being done.

Senator Martin Conway

I welcome the Minister and thank him for his contribution, as I thank Senator Averil Power.

During my two years in Seanad Éireann I have learned that Senator Power has the good of the people at heart and will work with the Government when it is appropriate and correct to do so. Many of her colleagues in this House share that ethos; she certainly does.

The Minister has diligently taken on the issue, set up a task force and made recommendations. There is also a clear and distinct timeframe, which is extremely important. Too often we have seen, over the years, proposals, recommendations and reports launched but no timeframe. In this instance a clear timeframe has been provided.

We are dealing with an absolutely awful development. Bullying has taken place in schools for many years. It has occurred for as long as children have been educated. Now there is a different style and facet to bullying due to the use of modern technology. I have no doubt that in 20 or 30 years time that there will be new ways to bully.

Deputy Ruairí Quinn

Super-cyberbullying.

Senator Martin Conway

Exactly. Bullying is an evolving problem that needs a multi-agency approach that starts in the home, continues in schools and, I hope, will percolate into the community. I hope we will reach a situation in which all interventions where children are concerned will have an antenna for bullying and there will be procedures in place to identify and deal with the issue. There has been great success in recent times in terms of child protection. There are now protocols and procedures in place to ensure that child abuse is detected quickly. The measures range from proper Garda vetting of the people who deal with vulnerable young people to child safety procedures in sports clubs, religious schools and so on. What the Minister has started here will commence the process whereby the same types of interventions will eventually take place to identify the early stages of bullying.

There is no community at this point that has not experienced young people taking their lives as a result of bullying. In my community two years ago, just before the junior certificate examination, a young man took his own life. As a result, his family set up a very successful organisation called the William Winder Rainbow Foundation. It tries to organise for young people to receive counselling and interventions at an early stage. Elsewhere, similar voluntary organisations have been established following horrific tragedies, and they do a lot of good. There must be a multi-agency approach in order to provide a coherent anti-bullying strategy to deal with the issue. I want everyone to work in tandem and to at least ensure that bullying is identified early. I commend the many people who do exceptionally good work, raise money and provide services and support structures. I want to see all of their voluntary efforts pulled together into one powerful strategy.

The Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, has spoken about the issue in the Seanad and today we have the Minister for Education and Skills in the House. Other Ministers are very keen to play their part in dealing with bullying. We need to make sure all of the available resources are targeted. I want the Minister, the Minister of State and the many charitable organisations that collect money to work together. Let us all pull together to avoid duplication, thus using finite resources to greater effect and ensuring they are properly targeted.

Let us examine the types of work that people are doing. Senator John Gilroy is touring the country holding public forums in order to hear stories and learn how things can be improved. The whole area of suicide, mental health and bullying is definitely getting attention and is a priority for the Oireachtas, not just for the Government. It is a priority for all parties and none. The issue is not a party political one, although it is political. A united approach will yield results and I commend Senator Averil Power on her words in that regard.

All we can do is to wish the Minister well and play our part. It would be a good idea if the Minister could return in 12 months to report progress. We all need to be on top of bullying. We must ensure we have the knowledge and can inform our communities about what the Government is doing and bring the response from communities to the Government. It is a two-way process and we must all share that responsibility.

Bullying is a scourge. It must be nipped in the bud and dealt with as much as it possibly can be. As has been said, we will never eliminate bullying altogether. As long as there are human beings there will be bullying, but we can at least put safeguards in place to identify it at an early stage.

Senator Sean D. Barrett

I welcome the Minister who has been a frequent attender of the House. His heart is in the right place as regards bullying, as stated by Senators Power and Conway. He will always have our support when dealing with the issues of bullying.

Most cyberbullying is carried out by people who were bullies anyway - we were a bit obsessed by technology when the issue first arose - but that is the nature of bullying. Sometimes the people who bully are found to have emulated, as all children do, the adults in their lives. It is essential in the area for which the Minister has responsibility that teachers, for instance, do not shout or appear to resolve disputes by imposing their larger size on smaller people. That is a serious issue. A love of children and a willingness to be with them and tolerate them when they do things that are wrong must be inherent in teaching. I have wondered about that aspiration. Sometimes, when I saw some of my colleagues at third level being dismissive of students - not bullying - I wondered whether they had realised when they became lecturers that about 90% of the student population would be between 18 and 22 years. I thought it would be a good idea for them to get on with such people because there would be a lot of them around. That outlook applies even more so to younger people.

The Minister may recall that Tony Blair once got into trouble for saying that one could slap a child but only a small slap, or something like that, and got tied up in the issue. It may still be the law that people can slap their own children but such behaviour sets a bad example to children. It is not law in this country.

Deputy Ruairí Quinn

It is very hard to legally define legitimate chastisement.

Senator Sean D. Barrett

Yes. In this House legitimate chastisement is verbal and quietly spoken. We do not want to set a bad example. Young people and small people will perceive our good example as the proper way to resolve disputes.

I recall the great Dr. Owen Sheehy-Skeffington - in a way, I am his successor - who came to the Seanad at a time when abuse, bullying and beating of children was acceptable and we had a Tom Brown's School Days tradition. Dr. Sheehy-Skeffington, Dr. Cyril Daly and others campaigned against the abuse, and they were magnificent people to do so. It is said that on one occasion a person who held the more traditional view in this House said he had been beaten in school and it had not done him any harm, to which Dr. Sheehy-Skeffington wittily replied, "I am inclined to put the question: in that case, what did do the harm?" However, he made a serious point.

Sweden banned all legitimate chastisement, as the Minister described it, at a very early stage. It is good for children to build up their confidence. I recognise that Senator John Boland, the then Minister, abolished corporal punishment in schools, a landmark decision. I think the Taoiseach at the time was Liam Cosgrave. I recall old editions of teacher magazines containing an advertisement promoting a new reverse-throttle cane with the line "Guaranteed to subdue the toughest eight year old". That was the culture at the time.

We could not possibly think that way now. How do we advance the cause? We have made great progress. I favour stricter control of the chastisement the Minister mentioned. The duties of parents and all those who have custody and care of children are paramount because many of the problems arise from the bad example adults give to children. As the Minister said, bullying can have a devastating effect on children and young people. The publication of anti-bullying procedures and the training sessions being provided for parents are important steps towards putting an end to it. The Minister's off-script remark about passive stand-by witnesses was most important. Unhappy incidents such as when a parent and a child have a difficulty in a supermarket and the child is slapped cause huge distress for most adults and certainly children. There is the old Irish language phrase, mol on óige agus tiocfaidh sí. Bad examples and traumatic experiences live on. Is it possible to devolve more powers in schools to children in order that they form little groups and have their own friends to give them positive protection? One of the successes at third level is devolving responsibility for activities to students in order that they can form friendships. Having good friends is probably the best protection. Parents will probably inquire of their children if there is anybody in their class or school who is not nice and I gather there is much concealed behaviour on the part of children who are bullied. They know it is going on, but they do not know what to do. If children have positive friendships with others with whom they get on well, they can bring it to the notice of the authorities. What children do together to promote friendships reduces bullying through school initiatives and sports clubs. The GAA is very strong in dealing with the issue. Professor Mona O'Moore, the well known expert, who gave me some notes on the issue said things like the new black card for persistent cynical behaviour in the sports arena could be transferred to schools.

Deputy Ruairí Quinn

It is called expulsion.

Senator Sean D. Barrett

That is the extreme red card. This was contained in her speech of 11 May and she mentioned that possibility. It might be the equivalent of the black card which is to be introduced by the GAA for cynical behaviour, to be used for the perpetrators of bullying to participate in some form of aggression replacement therapy, together with their families, if necessary. She made the point that cyberbullying was simply an extension of the bullying taking place at any event. It is rampant. She supports the Minister's action plan on bullying and recommends that future definitions of bullying make provision for isolated acts of aggression which have the potential to be repeated over time. On cyberbullying, she notes that Irish children have poor digital skills compared with their European counterparts. Does this make cyberbullying easier and a greater challenge as one seeks to cope with it? She also raises the question of silent witnesses. She said a professionally made DVD intended for use by SPHE teachers had been sent to all second level schools free of charge in 2005. It still has the potential to empower students to take action to discourage bullying and report it, yet my understanding is that it has not been widely used as a teaching resource. In our support of the Minister, perhaps he might ask how that initiative is progressing.

Most studies of bullying report the pitiful level of reporting to staff and the perils of bullying. Therefore, there is a need for those affected to come forward.

Deputy Ruairí Quinn

Principals will be required to present a quarterly report to the board of management on incidents that have come to attention. There will be a log book, so to speak.

Senator Sean D. Barrett

I thank the Minister. I also thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for his indulgence.

In regard to the report on anti-bullying procedures, September 2013, research suggests children with disabilities and special educational needs are more likely to be bullied than others. That presents an incredible challenge to everybody in the House. It stops one in one's tracks when one reads that people with disabilities are specially singled out for treatment. We know what the budget programme is from the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan. The Minister mentioned that he had €500,000 for 900,000 students. That amounts to 45 cent per student in primary school to protect them from behaviour which we abhor. If we ever get the finances in some kind of order again, we will support him on increasing the figure of €500,000. We are carrying out the research and I hope it is covering the issue of teacher training. We need to change behaviour in society to take account of the fact that certain ways in which young people were traditionally treated are not acceptable. We will all benefit as a result. I have no doubt that John Boland and Owen Sheehy Skeffington were absolutely right to raise the level of our consciousness. I am happy to endorse the way the Minister, Senators Averil Power and Martin Conway have done it because we must look after our younger folk and support every endeavour in that regard.

Senator Mary Moran

I join in the welcome to the Minister who has been extremely proactive in the field of education and bullying, as has the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. Both Houses have debated on numerous occasions the issue of bullying in all its forms. I wholeheartedly support the guidelines published recently which were long overdue; the last guidelines being published 20 years ago. Nobody wants to see bullying. As Senator Martin Conway said, there has always been bullying in some form. Having listened to Senator Sean D. Barrett, it is clear that times have changed. It used to be "sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me"; now it is a case of name calling never hurting them because it is all done through cyberbulling and devious means of making comments on social media, probably the biggest source of bullying today.

On bullying in schools, what we need is positive education for children. That is very important. We want every child to leave school feeling he or she has had a positive experience. While that happens in the majority of cases, unfortunately, there are many cases in which it does not. That is where the guidelines will help to tackle and overcome the problems being encountered. We have had many debates and talks and it is great that the guidelines have now been published. It is welcome that school principals must report incidents of bullying to the board of management which it can put up on the website. It is a positive development that the information is fed back to the Minister and that there is a continuous circle. No school likes to be subject to bad publicity and no school likes to state it has a problem with bullying.

I would like all aspects of bullying to be introduced in teacher training and also in training provided in schools. Given that school principals must report to the board of management, members of the board of management should also receive the necessary training. Why give the board this information if it does not know what to do with it?

I am delighted €40,000 has been made available to provide training and awareness for parents.

I do not mean to be a thorn in the side on this issue, but while we can all comment on the positive, there are issues that need to be teased out. The Minister has said there is €40,000 available for parents. That is brilliant, but will it be like the current situation with parent teacher meetings, where the same group of parents come in all the time, the parents we do not need to target. Perhaps these are the only parents who will avail of the training. The Minister said the leaflet on this will be distributed by the National Parents Council to all parents who attend its courses and that it will be published on its website. Would it not be a good idea to ensure that not only does it go to parents who attend courses, but to all parents of the schoolchildren. Perhaps some of these do not know how to access the Internet or cannot, for work or other reasons, attend the courses. The leaflets should be made available to them.

Much of the time bullying also affects parents. It affects a whole circle of people. We cannot just say the school or home should deal with bullying. It must be a communal effort. Sometimes, parents are the last to know about or admit bullying. Sometimes, the parents of the pupils who are being bullied are the last people the bullied pupils want to know about it because they feel they are letting their parents or somebody down. There is a problem in this regard. Therefore, it is imperative that children are encouraged to report bullying. I take on board what Senator Power said about cutbacks in schools and the reduction in the number of career guidance hours. These teachers provide a valuable service.

Deputy Ruairí Quinn

We did not reduce the number of career guidance teachers. We mainstreamed them in order that they reconnected.

Senator Mary Moran

Those teachers are not gone and that option remains, but it is up to the school to decide on the number of guidance hours. I understand the need for guidance and appreciate the value of the work done by guidance teachers. However, I believe dealing with bullying must be a whole-school approach. That is the reason I believe professional development on this issue for all teachers is important. Teachers must be allowed half days to attend training and courses in order that they can understand how to deal with bullying.

For various reasons students might often be unwilling to go to a teacher assigned to a particular area. They might prefer to go to another teacher, perhaps one who teaches them or does not teach them. Therefore, there must be a whole-school approach so that everybody in the school knows and recognises how to deal with these situations. I spent 25 years in the classroom and know that often it is the pupil who is making the loudest noise or laughing the heartiest who is suffering the most deep down. Teachers need to have the ability to get to know their pupils and to recognise what is going on behind what they see.

I appreciate that bullying is also dealt with in the SPHE curriculum. I have a bugbear with regard to how this programme is taught. It is important that SPHE does not become a class where because it is not an exam subject, pupils are just told to study their books or that they will have a chat class. Sometimes, a chat class can be beneficial in dealing with bullying and aspects of mental health, but it is important that these issues are dealt with and that SPHE is taught well.

I noted that all the proposals in the Minister's speech were pupil oriented. What about teachers who are bullied? This is an important issue. Teachers are bullied and these teachers, like some pupils, can be afraid to say that they are being bullied. Bullying of teachers can have a serious effect. Sometimes it is the best teachers in a school who are targeted and bullied by colleagues. This can be devastating. Something should be done to support these teachers.

Last January, as a result of discussions on positive mental health and mental health in schools and other areas, I helped found and set up a positive mental health group in Dundalk. We had no resources and knowing there was nothing we could achieve on our own, we decided to bring together all the groups offering services in the area. There is a huge problem with regard to duplication of mental health services. As a result of setting up our group we got representatives from the HSE, Shine, GROW, LGBT, the Dundalk Outcomers and all the groups to come together. We meet now on a monthly basis and our steering committee invites people to deliver presentations on various topics. One presentation on bullying and cyberbullying was delivered by the juvenile liaison officer in the area. We got a fantastic response from pupils, children and teenagers in the Dundalk area to it. They came and said they could talk about it there, but they could not talk about it in school.

It is a good idea to get outside agencies involved in dealing with bullying in schools. I am aware that the HSE and its suicide officer in Dundalk, who is on our steering committee, see this as a great idea. It is like what happened with religious retreats years ago, where pupils were far quicker to discuss topics with the person who came from outside than they would be with the school teacher.

Deputy Ruairí Quinn

Even with the Redemptorists.

Senator Mary Moran

There were others. I see it as important that this is facilitated. I hope the Minister takes our suggestions on board. I applaud him on the work he has done and will continue to do in this area. He has our support. This is not a political issue, but an issue that affects all of us, across party and across Departments. It involves the Department of Health and the lack of resources available for mental health. When we discover people are affected by bullying, we need to know where to take them, how to access help and how services can be improved.

Senator Katherine Zappone

What a great teacher Senator Moran must have been and how blessed her students must have been. Well done to her.

Like other speakers, I am happy to welcome the Minister and compliment him on the work of the anti-bullying working group. As the Minister went through the steps, I remembered each of them. Many of the Minister's colleagues participated in this with him and I believe what he has achieved will be an integral aspect of his legacy. I believe all the Minister is doing will make a difference and will help to change the culture. From the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, LGBT, perspective, I welcome the measures. As the Minister is well aware, both homophobic and transphobic bullying are endemic in our schools. The proposed procedures and action plan on bullying are some of the most significant moves in the history of the Department of Education and Skills in regard to addressing this problem.

Earlier this summer, I put forward a Bill on gender recognition and I am heartened to see specific reference to transgender young people and transphobic bullying in the new procedures. I learned a lot and gained experience on this in putting together my Bill. I learned what it means to be transgender and to struggle with that and about how unusual and different that is. I learned how much learning we and teachers need to do on this issue. Who better to teach us than young transgender people? I certainly learned a lot from them. It is also important to know that young people who are not transgender are often bullied and targeted as if they are. This happens when young people are experimenting and stepping outside of rigid gender roles.

There is a lot of learning in that arena as regards bullying. The Minister referred to oversight and Senator Mary Moran also referred to it in terms of ensuring the implementation of the guidelines. We all hope and believe schools will take the opportunity presented by the guidelines so that the context is happier for their young people. In my community, I heard stories of young boys being bullied. It is so sad to hear it and it is very hard for young people. I hope this opportunity is grabbed by schools. In the action plan, existing models for evaluating schools will be used to measure the effectiveness of anti-bullying activity. The Minister referred to the principal and the board of management. Is there potential in considering evaluating it in the context of school inspection reports? The inspector has strength and power in the school context and this may be another way of doing it.

From the action plan, I see that teacher education support services give priority to the gathering of evidence in respect of teachers' needs with regard to bullying and teachers' capacity to address it. I welcome this and I hope, like others, that sufficient resources will be made available for teachers to be trained specifically and equipped for bullying behaviour.

Senator Moran spoke about social, personal and health education, SPHE, and I also raised issues about the teaching of it in the past. I will highlight the integration of the SPHE support service into the professional development service for teachers. People who were once focused on SPHE are now fulfilling a number of other roles. How will this have an impact on SPHE, which is already a non-exam subject and not mandatory? Will the integration have an impact on the training of teachers who can teach SPHE? I am thinking specifically of the roll-out of an SPHE model on LGBT identities. It has been slow and I understand that it must be slow because teachers must be trained to teach it. The teaching of such a module could be one of many steps taken by schools to address bullying but, due to resource concerns, there is a challenge.

I praise the work that has taken place but I cannot finish without mentioning another group in the school system that experiences fear and worry on a daily basis because of their identity, namely, teachers. Earlier this year, my colleague, Senator Bacik, published the Equality Employment (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill which proposed to deal with the so-called chill factor for employees in religious-run institutions who, by virtue of their identity or family circumstances, may be said to undermine the employers' religious ethos. I welcome the efforts and also noted the efforts of Senator Averil Power in this regard. Senators Bacik and Power were told the Government accepted the issue, as the Minister said, but that it would be examined by the Irish human rights and equality commission when it is set up. Legislation to set up the new commission is in section A of the Government legislative programme and perhaps the Minister can inquire of his Cabinet colleagues when the new body will be set up and when we will see the legislation.

Senator Deirdre Clune

It is important to have this debate. The Minister has appeared in this House previously to discuss it and I thank him for his work. We have now established steps for how schools, principals, teachers and parents can deal with the issue of bullying, which has advanced into cyberbullying. Bullying was always with us and always will be. It is not technology that is the problem but behaviour. Technology makes it easier and ensures it can go beyond the school gate. I am not saying that schools have the solution to everything but they are an important factor in children's lives and the medium through which the State can interact and educate children. Therefore, schools are the focus when we come to delivering guidelines and best practice in dealing with bullying.

The Minister has been inclusive, has invited submissions and has worked with individuals, teachers and the National Parents Council at primary and post-primary level. These bodies will play an important role and I congratulate the National Parents Council on its excellent leaflet on inclusiveness. The Minister launched it and it will be very important in the debate we need to have.

Guidelines were last issued in 1993, the previous century, and it is important they are updated. Dr. Geoffrey Shannon, the Government's special rapporteur on child protection, produced a report on bullying and cyberbullying. He stated legislation should be introduced compelling schools to have a strong disciplinary code. The concern about guidelines is that they will be implemented in a patchy rather than uniform fashion. In the case of 4,000 schools, it is different as they all have structures of the principal reporting to the boards of management. The guidelines establish that the principal should report on a quarterly basis. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, had to introduce legislative support for the guidelines for protecting children but that is because the sector is more diverse. I am interested in the comments of the Minister on the legislative issue but he will probably tell me that it is a step too far at this stage when we have structures under which we can manage bullying. We know the statistics and we have heard the headline statistics on how cyberbullying has contributed to mental health issues and young people taking their own lives. One in five teenagers are being cyberbullied. The issue involves awareness and educating parents on what their children are dealing with.

I support technology, which has been invaluable and has opened up the world for many people, including Members. Children need to be aware of the consequences of using online media such as Facebook, Twitter and texting. The potential consequences can be enormous in terms of job prospects and the situations we would like to keep private. An awareness of the issue is important. A presentation was made by Waterford County Comhairle na nÓg on tackling cyberbullying in the Waterford area. Peer support is very important as young people take a message from their own colleagues more than from teachers or parents. The lilac wristband is very successful in delivering messages to raise awareness. Any support that can be given to initiatives such as that is important. This is a positive step and is the result of consultation. The structures are now in place to support all involved in this topic that gets such attention that it must be addressed.

Senator Mary Ann O'Brien

I am so happy to have the Minister here and taking part in the debate on this topic. After 20 years, he has taken steps with such diligence in his consultation and action plan on bullying. There is nothing more important than looking after our young. I was pleased to hear the Minister saying that he will keep a constant eye and that the board of management will report every three months. The Minister will be able to keep statistics and keep his finger on the pulse of what is happening.

I refer to yesterday's briefing in the AV room by Waterford County Comhairle na nÓg.

There is nothing like the young to talk to us, as it is really them about whom we are speaking. These are the people who are affected and seeing them speak was a powerful experience, which I wish the Minister had shared. They were very powerful young speakers. As the Senator mentioned, one of the beautiful teenagers told us "sticks and stones may break your bones", as mummies and daddies used to say; one would end up with a bruise and be very hurt but the bruise went away. She told us parents and friends could speak to her and one would feel better afterwards.

I am here to speak about cyberbullying, which is like a psychological cancer for our young because it is so permanent. We can consider all the forms of cyberbullying. With regard to social networks, I have a 13 year old who has just started in a new school and I am glad to report the school in Kilkenny has a wonderful principal. Little Molly has come back to me three times already and said, "My gosh, at assembly he is saying that he does not care what goes on in the school but if one pupil is responsible for any bullying through text or social networks, he will not stand for it". He has told pupils to speak to friends or parents if there is an issue, so he is getting the message through. It is wonderful to hear that from teachers.

The young group yesterday spoke to us about Viber, and as I did not know what that was, I asked Molly last night. It is a group texting application, which means one text can go out to the entire gang for free. We have all heard of Ask.fm, which is really nasty as it is perfect for the profile of bullies. The user can be anonymous and say what he or she likes. It is perfect for Mr. or Ms Bully as they need never be found out.

Deputy Ruairí Quinn

That is right.

Senator Mary Ann O'Brien

I would love to strangle Ask.fm, put it in the ocean and drown it forever. A person must be 13 to join Facebook but statistics indicate there are 5 million children aged under ten on it. We have Facebook, Google, Yahoo and Twitter in Ireland, and all the people behind them love to speak to Ministers. The Minister should keep himself informed and be sure to inform the people behind those companies, as they are powerful and can help us.

With regard to Internet safety month, I will again return to the cancer motif. October is coming and how powerful is that pink ribbon? This cancer is so powerful in our children that we must come together and help the Minister formulate a plan for people to use social media effectively in that month. I pity the Minister as 40,070 sessions for parents is not enough. I am a busy parent and I am ashamed to say I did not get to the information night last year at my school. Mums and dads must get to such sessions and become trained in these issues. I think I am a fairly hip mother but I really have not a clue. I have to teach myself how to speak to my child and let her know that I must set the proper boundaries, for example, she must share passwords and I need to know her privacy settings are safe. We all know this is an evolving area.

In my short speech today I am blathering on about the likes of Viber and Snapchat, which is another application that really worries me. My child is only 13 years old but what will happen when boys become interesting? With Snapchat I could send a picture that will disappear in 30 seconds so it is apparently "safe" to use. It may disappear from the phone but where is it gone? It goes to the cloud.

If I put a picture of the Minister on the Internet through Facebook, it would be shared through friends and friends of friends, meaning it can go viral. We are only having fun but if, for example, the Minister had been drunk and was photographed in a terrible state, what hope would he have of getting a job in the Cabinet? He would be done and dusted forever because it is a permanent process.

Senator Mark Daly

Despite that, a few fellows got a job in the Dáil.

Senator Mary Ann O'Brien

As that is what is out there for young children, we should keep a dialogue open. As well as the task force that has been set up, the Minister needs some young and clever minds that are up to date on these issues. We are a pack of old fogeys, which I am sorry to say, and anybody over 22 or 23 years is not with the story.

Senator Aideen Hayden

I congratulate the Minister for the work he has done in this area over many years as well as the work done before that. I read an article in The Irish Times after the announcement of the strategy in September which argued that the universality of bullying comes from an almost instinctive human tendency to accept some and exclude others from the group to gain supposed social status among peers by targeting a weaker opponent. This is what makes it particularly difficult to eliminate. However, we all accept that dealing with this type of behaviour is what humanises us.

I will specifically address the procedures announced in September 2013. These are important not just as procedures for dealing with bullying but as part of a wider mental health strategy. If we manage to successfully deal with the issue of bullying in primary and post-primary schools, it will have a positive outcome as times goes on in adult bullying, for example. I do not know but I very much doubt that there is a single person in the room who has not been impacted in some shape or form by bullying, either by direct experience or that of a family member, child or friend. I know friends who have been bullied at work, and I also know children, nieces and nephews who have experienced bullying in schools. It is endemic in society.

I welcome the fact that there will be resources put behind this programme and, to be fair, €500,000 is a significant amount of money in current economic times. The Minister should be congratulated for this. I have some comments and observations on the programme nonetheless. I do not see any emphasis on peer-to-peer mentoring or support, which is very important. For example, a programme called Meitheal was introduced in Wexford, where there is a particularly high level of suicide among young people and it involves peer-to-peer mentoring with supports. Unfortunately, it will have to be discontinued because of a lack of resources. Nevertheless, there is sufficient evidence from the programme that it should be rolled out on a nationwide basis, and I ask the Minister to consider a nationwide peer-to-peer programme in schools.

I echo the sentiments of Senator Moran with regard to the role of parents and welcome the financial support in the document for parental training. There is an issue among parents in recognising bullying, as they believe that it reflects on themselves; either they see the child as weak or, alternatively, the child is the bully. As a result, there is a reluctance among parents to accept the matter. Further, parents may be a problem themselves, so significant resources must be put behind this effort.

I was looking at the action plan against bullying and wider research in the area, and the issue is almost comparable to abuse. That is one of the reasons peer-to-peer mentoring is so important. Children are afraid they will not be believed or there is not enough evidence. They may also be afraid of retaliation and retribution. Peer-to-peer mentoring, for youths and potentially for parents who find themselves in a scenario where a child is experiencing bullying, could lead to a support group to combat the problem.

There is one statement in the action plan that I want to bring to the Minister's attention, as there has been much emphasis on bullying and abuse of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender children or youths with a disability. There is another group that should be mentioned. The report indicates:

It is important to remember that children can be bullied for no apparent reason. Sometimes, it can be as a result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Physical attributes such as hair colour, weight or even the fact that someone wears glasses can sometimes be used to bully someone.

I was struck by the account of a young girl called Elaine Doyle. She came under the spotlight because she had received 100% in a physics test, bringing her to the attention of the bullies. There is a group of bright children who experience bullying. In a way that was actually very disturbing and Ms Doyle set out the isolation, rejection, insecurity and depression that she experienced because she was a bright child.

The Minister has stated schools are only part of the problem, which I accept completely. There is a need for specific emphasis on the fact that schools are part of a community. My experience of children who have been bullied is that those who succeed and survive bullying the best are those who have an outside resource that protects and insulates them to some extent from bullying.

I am concerned about the cuts to youth services. It is very important that children have access to debating, sports and youth clubs, in addition to organisations such as BeLonGTo. I ask the Minister to support specifically the Centre for Talented Youth, Ireland, which offers support to bright children. There is plenty of evidence to show that bright children suffer because of their brightness and are isolated by it.

The only hope is that this will not be a box-ticking exercise. While we can require schools to fill in forms, engage in acknowledgement and take all sorts of steps, it is critical that there be adequate surveillance of the programme and expert reviews conducted to ensure it is actually working in schools.

Senator Mark Daly

I welcome the Minister. This issue was brought home to us by the suicide of two sisters, Erin and Shannon Gallagher, who were 13 and 15 years old. They had been subjected to bullying. I was watching the Minister earlier on the monitor and heard him discuss how bullying was not the responsibility of the schools. Emphasis is always placed on what schools can do-----

Deputy Ruairí Quinn

It is not just their responsibility.

Senator Mark Daly

I agree. Parents have a responsibility to ensure and check that their child is safe. Cyberbullying is an entirely different monster from other forms of bullying because it does not disappear after school. It comes home with the child, is on the telephone and the Internet and, as my colleague described, becomes a type of cancer from which he cannot escape. I am sure the Minister never received a clip on the ear from parents over anything. Previously, however, if someone reported to a parent that his or her child was bullying or misbehaving, that child would get a clip. Now it is a case of the parent saying it could not possibly happen. That, in itself, is a considerable issue. Parents must be held accountable.

We are discussing cyberbullying, parents' reactions and the call for action in the media. One particular company produced dedicated anti-bullying software that could be bought for children to prevent bullying online. It does not prevent bullying in school, but it has online capability. Despite this, the uptake was appallingly low. While there is a call to action and services have been put in place at much expense, parents across the country do not ensure the technology is used. It is in the Minister's gift to consider issuing a circular to schools stating we would prefer students and schools to have anti-bullying technology on their phones. Obviously, there are all sorts of EU regulations on monopolies to be considered, but the technology should be referred to in school policies. It is up to the principal to say that if a pupil has a phone, it should go into a bag and that if one does not have an anti-bullying device on it, it must not be brought into the school. There is nothing like a small carrot and stick to encourage students. Children with phones with anti-bullying technology would not be able to be bullied or to bully and those children without such phones would not be allowed to have them at school events or at anything to do with the school. In this way, irrespective of whether parents are active or inactive regarding school initiatives, progress could be ensured. As I know from having given talks in schools on drug and alcohol abuse, the most active parents are the ones who show up. The parents one really wants to see, whose children are probably the most vulnerable, are not the ones who show up. Preaching to the converted is never a great mission. I ask the Minister to address this point.

How many schools are there?

Deputy Ruairí Quinn

In round figures, there are 900,000 pupils and 4,000 schools, including primary and post-primary schools.

Senator Mark Daly

A simple initiative would not require legislation or ministerial orders. It would obviously require good will. If every principal, especially at post-primary level, put an incentive in place, it would be useful. Most schools have a strict ban on the use of mobile phones, but a stick and carrot approach should be applied in regard to bullying such that children with anti-bullying technology on their phones would be allowed to use them at school events, take photographs and post them online. Children without the technology should not be allowed to bring their phones to any school-related event, including school tours. This would be cost-effective and encourage the cost of an e-mail.

Senator Hildegarde Naughton

I thank the Minister for attending. I greatly welcome the guidelines which are long overdue, as has been said.

Bullying affects all age groups and people from all walks of life. As other Senators have said, it is correct that this is not just an issue for schools. As a primary school teacher, I believe it is a question for wider society. It is important that young people be allowed to take the lead on it. Senator O'Brien and others said that if young people could take the lead and be mentors for one another, they would be far more likely to listen to one another than to parliamentarians. It is said one in five people is bullied in cyberspace. Some 26% of bullying is done via mobile phones. There is no escaping it. One carries one's phone around in one's pocket; therefore, bullying constantly follows the victim. It is permanent. It is important that young people understand that what they put up online reflects on them and what they stand for. They are in a position to acknowledge this.

Reference was made to Comhairle na nÓg in Waterford. It is having its cyber-day on 3 October. It represents 5,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 18 years. It is a very important movement and one I would like to see spread nationwide. It would be very important and change the culture. A cultural change is required across the community.

With regard to how we deal with bullying, primary school is a key area. SPHE has been mentioned. We really need to consider putting in place a programme in schools to teach pupils how to deal with day-to-day life, how to cope with a bad day and how to deal with their emotions if somebody says something that affects them. Young people today feel pressures that my peers and I did not have to deal with. There are many more pressures on them and it is essential that we start to take action in primary schools in order that young people will develop coping skills and be brave enough to report bullying.

What is an important point in terms of cyberbullying is that young people understand that when they publish something on social media they are publishing their own words and there will be consequences, either in terms of future job applications or in the context of bullying their peers. The consequences need to be highlighted to young people. That said, young people themselves need to drive this and there is a great willingness on their part to do that if they are given the opportunity. I commend Comhairle na nÓg in Waterford and Waterford County Council. We should be examining ways to spread their example right across the country.

Senator David Cullinane

First, I wish to welcome some visitors from Australia who are in the Visitors Gallery today with Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn.

I welcome the Minister to the House to discuss this important issue. I am sure, like me, the Minister has met parents and pupils in his constituency office who present with a case of bullying. It is a very difficult problem to deal with as a public representative, especially when one is a parent. My first thought is always about what I would do if I was in that situation. I have a six year old son who is in first class. If my son was to come home and tell me he was the victim of bullying, I would be very upset, obviously. We have tremendous empathy with the parents of children who are being bullied. Our first thoughts are always about how we can address the problem.

I went back over my case load and in the last three months I have dealt with six different cases of bullying in Waterford. I must say that the approach taken by all of the schools involved when I contacted them was first class. The systems they had in place were very good. The boards of management were very organised and took on board the points I expressed to them and worked with the parents of the children who were being bullied. Good work is being done in our schools in this area but is an area in which we are still learning. As previous Senators have said, the advent of social media and cyberbullying has made dealing with bullying an even greater challenge for all of us.

I missed the presentation given by representatives from Waterford Comhairle na nÓg yesterday but I heard that it involved young people sharing their experiences of what it was like to be victims of cyberbullying. We must learn from them and draw from their experiences. The Ombudsman for Children spoke at an event I attended when I was first elected to the Seanad. She talked about children's rights and said that the first thing we must do is listen to children. We are not very good at listening to children. We think we understand what they go through. We think we understand their issues but as a State, we do not listen to the concerns of children, as is clear from happened to children here for many years. We do not listen to their concerns. We should draw lessons from the Ombudsman for Children in that regard. The best thing we can do to address the issue of bullying is to try to understand what children go through, how it happens and then learn lessons from this.

Deputy Ruairí Quinn

I think we have lessons to learn about listening to ourselves, let alone about listening to children.

Senator David Cullinane

I accept that. I welcome the recent announcement that parents are to receive special training in an effort to crack down on bullying in schools. I also support the Minister's decision to allocate €40,000 to an anti-bullying project. Any steps taken by the Minister and his Department to deal with this issue will have the full support of my party.

Like the parents' and teachers' organisations, Sinn Féin is very concerned by the prevalence of this problem, especially in our national school system. The INTO recently estimated that up to 40% of nine year old children had been bullied at some stage since starting primary school. Parents are key to solving the problem and will be central to addressing it at both primary and secondary levels. I know the Minister places parenting and the role of parents front and centre in how we address the problem and that is the correct approach.

However, while we welcome the aforementioned initiative, it is important to acknowledge that this issue is a difficult and complex one which requires a multi-pronged approach. The diversity of Irish society now is something we should genuinely celebrate. We are a much more multicultural society. There are children in classrooms today of varied race, ethnicity, sexual orientation as well as physical and intellectual ability. However, that presents challenges, both to teachers and to schools. It also, as we know, throws up bullying. The Minister is aware that people who are homosexual, for example, often experience much higher levels of bullying. A lot of the new Irish, that is, immigrants to this country, have also experienced bullying, as have members of the Traveller community. We need to look at that because separate programmes might be necessary to deal with these specific forms of bullying.

We must also learn lessons from the past. Let us take the example of various gay rights groups. BeLonG To and GLEN were mentioned by previous speakers. They embarked on three nationwide campaigns to tackle homophobia in the education system. Those campaigns actually became a national plan and what underpinned that national plan was a multi-agency approach to dealing with the issue. That is a useful lesson for us in dealing with this issue.

It would be remiss of me, while the Minister is here, not to say that the cutbacks in the education system across the board make it much more difficult for us to deal with this problem. I am not going to pretend or claim that cutbacks alone result in bullying in our classrooms. They do not. However, they do make it more difficult for teachers to deal with the issue. Only yesterday, the INTO published figures which showed that 25% of all classes in the city and county of Waterford are so-called "super sized" classes of over 30. Does that present a bigger challenge to those teachers, given the diversity within those classrooms and the issues they have to deal with? Of course it does.

Deputy Ruairí Quinn

The Senator should ask the INTO to publish the figures for the number of classes that have 15 or fewer pupils.

Senator David Cullinane

I am presenting the figures -----

Deputy Ruairí Quinn

I know.

Senator David Cullinane

There may be examples of that. There may be imbalances in the system but it is the Minister's job to address that issue. I am presenting the figures for over-sized classes, which are an obvious problem and an obvious reality. Nobody can say that we have not had cutbacks in our education system. We have had many cutbacks and the Minister will say they were necessary, as part of our economic adjustment. I am simply making the point that the cuts make it much more difficult for us to deal with bullying.

Generally, we support the guidelines which were published recently. Sinn Féin published a Private Members' Bill on the issue earlier this year which was voted down by the Government. We believe that a legislative underpinning of the guidelines is the way to go but the Minister took a different view. That said, we are supportive of whatever measures the Minister puts in place to deal with what is a very complex issue but one with which we must grapple.

Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill

Tá lúcháir orm go bhfuil an deis seo againn díospóireacht a bheith againn ar an ábhar seo sa Teach inniu. Cuireann an fhadhb seo isteach ar go leor daoine, ní hamháin sa chóras oideachais ach san earnáil fostaíochta freisin. Baineann sé le gach gné den saol. The debate we are having today is a very important one but debates such as this often go unrecognised in the Houses of the Oireachtas. Bullying affects people in many different ways. It affects people from all walks of life and is prevalent in the education system, the workplace and sometimes within families. It is important that we recognise and deal with this issue by developing new policies and by introducing legislation, where necessary.

Bullying occurs where the behaviour of one person has a negative impact on another. Before today's debate I was reading up on various definitions or classifications of bullying and found an interesting one from a Norwegian researcher named Dan Olweus.

He defines bullying as when a person is "exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons", and he defines negative action as "when a person intentionally inflicts injury or discomfort upon another person, through physical contact, through words or in other ways". That leads me on to welcoming the Minister's publication, The Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools, which encompasses Dan Olweus's definitions.

The publication comes at an opportune time when the consequences of bullying have become a stark reality for many young people in educational settings, whether at primary, secondary or third level, although the policy only covers the former two. I am very much aware of the cases in my County Donegal constituency that have been mentioned. As I know the families involved, I know what occurred. Young Erin Gallagher, who was 13 years old at the time, and her sister Shannon, who was 15, were taken from this life because of online bullying or cyberbullying as it is commonly referred to. That was very difficult for the families concerned. The bullying obviously evolved over time. If the procedures that are outlined in the publication were in place, could their deaths have been prevented? We do not know, but my firm view is that it certainly could have helped.

Primary and secondary schools have an obligation to consult parents about and to outline and implement what is in the publication in as fast a timeframe as possible. Will it solve all the problems? Probably not. Is there a way to solve all the problems? Probably not. Is there a way to deal with cyberbullying? Probably not, but steps must be taken to eliminate, as far as possible, the consequences of cyberbullying. I remember professionals from the Health Service Executive and the educational sphere talking at the time about the incidents in Donegal and the other incident, too.

The Internet is a huge place, and 54% of all surfing in Ireland is done by the young and not so young on mobile phones. Everyone has a mobile phone. Every kid has a mobile phone at school, most of which are equipped with Internet capabilities; therefore, the kids are not only carrying that capability around, but talking about it and being exposed to it right through the school and even beyond. Therefore, protocols must be put in place. However, no one government or country can do that without a link-up system being put in place across the globe involving every government and other type of organisation.

The publication is a great step in the right direction and I commend the Minister and the Department for their action. We now need to see that followed through, which will involve the schools and the management boards stepping up to the plate and putting in place the procedures as quickly as possible. In particular, the Health Service Executive and social workers need to play a more active role. I do not place the blame on a lack of resources when I say that, but there must be radical, out-of-the-box thinking by healthcare workers across the spectrum on the systems that are in place. It has been proven to be the case that a social work support system cannot be operated on a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. basis because when an individual who has a particular need or wants to speak to someone but it is after 5 p.m., the support is not available. It is unacceptable that the systems are in place but the service is not available. Changing that will involve cross-Department and interdepartmental work.

I welcome the initiative and the importance of having this debate not only today but in six months time so that we see how the recommendations in the report have been implemented on the ground. A group of children in the Killygordon and Crossroads youth club, which is in my constituency, came together to write a report with recommendations, which some 6,000 people living in Donegal signed, and sent it to the Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions to ask it to make recommendations on this issue to the Seanad and the Dáil and, by extension, the Government. Most of the recommendations in the youth club's report have been dealt with in the Minister's report, which I welcome.

I am not sure whether we have had a detailed discussion previously in the Seanad or the Dáil on bullying in education. I am not aware that we have; as I certainly have not contributed to one, I welcome that we are debating the issue today. Fianna Fáil will certainly support the Government every step of the way. No one should play politics with this issue and we should all work together on it.

Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn)

Eleven Senators have contributed constructively and positively to the debate. In citing some of the matters that stuck out for me, that is not to ignore other matters that were mentioned.

I welcome Senator Power's generous response on cross-party support and the fact that we need to listen to each other, a phrase aboutwhich Senator Cullinane spoke. There are continuous examples of good practice and the Senator referred to some of them.

Senator Conway talked about the fact that, sadly, no community is immune from juvenile self-harm or youths taking their own lives. We must be alert to a phenomenon that simply did not occur a long time ago or, if it did, it was not mentioned. It certainly occurs now.

Senator Barrett made some interesting and constructive suggestions. He referred to pioneers such as Senator Owen Sheehy-Skeffington and Dr. Cyril Daly who articulated what was unacceptable to say at the time. Indeed, people thought that they were mad and that every parent had the right to beat their child. We have moved on from that. I pay tribute to the late Minister John Boland - he served his apprenticeship as a Senator in this House - for making corporal punishment illegal in our schools. The fact that it is not illegal in our homes has been raised. There is a definition about it and we have been cited on human rights grounds to the Council of Europe and we are dealing with the matter. Senator Colm Burke also suggested that a new black card could be used for unacceptable behaviour. The difficulty is whether that means expulsion, which is why I intervened, or whether by using such a system we would be running away from the problem rather than solving it.

Senator Mary Moran had interesting things to say, particularly on teacher training and the whole area of CPD. I am aware of problems in the staffroom and bullying among colleagues. That is an issue that the teaching unions must face up to, because in a way they are not doing that. It is the elephant in the room, and it includes teachers bullying pupils and other teachers. We must consider the whole question of how the SPHE curriculum helps to tackle bullying. That takes us back to the reforms of junior certificate. Due to the tyranny of that system, if a subject has no examination it is said not to count when in fact SPHE is clearly a critical subject.

That leads me on to what Senator Zappone had to say. Understandably, she focused on the question of homophobic bullying. The 1993 guidelines made no reference to homophobia - it was a word that could not be spoken about. It will come as no surprise to Members that, in the wider education community, some representative groups did not want to address the issue and took the view that because it was not a problem in their school, it did not exist. However, we all know that there is homophobia. Senator Zappone made an interesting point about progress on the legislation initiated by Senator Power on protection for teachers in the classroom. I will either come back to Senator Zappone on that issue or I will ask her to follow up that matter with Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter. The A list includes legislation to merge the Human Rights Commission and the Equality Authority and our reforms in that area are destined to go through. However, if we do not make the progress that this House and I want to see, it is open to this House to take whatever action it wants to. I hope that some of the bureaucrats that sit behind some of the committees respond to that threat. I hope it will not come to that.

This House is sovereign in its own right and can decide what it wants to initiate. What happens in the future is another matter. We need to have teachers, as they are key role models in the classroom. If somebody who is openly gay or lesbian is part of the normal community, that gives great support and sustenance to young people who are struggling with their own identity. We know this struggle starts at a younger age now.

Senator Clune raised the necessity to promote best practice and a sense of awareness. Senator Mary Ann O'Brien raised the issue of cyberbullying and the cancer of sites such as Snapchat and others. The older generations have always struggled to keep up with younger generations. Some may be old enough to remember a famous book in the 1970s called Future Shock by Alvin Toffler, in which a person of considerable age on the west coast of America says to a cohort of young people that the problem with the future is that you will have to cope with change, to which the response is, that is your problem, we are doing it. It is so true. Senator Hayden referred to peer-to-peer mentoring and support. I see that as being of critical importance.

To echo what Senator Barrett said, we have to strengthen the student unions in secondary schools. The Dáil na nÓg and the student councils in many cases are a fiction. It is brushed off and opened out to the inspectorate when they arrive. It does not have teeth. We must try to reinforce student unions at second level. The student unions at second level are very strong in very many EU member states. Because of the inevitable turnover of students, they need more support and be given greater recognition.

It may have been either Senator Zappone or Senator Moran who commented that the implementation of practices must be part of the whole-school evaluation. Maintaining the logbook is critical. If an incident is reported, it should be noted. There should be a logbook, as there would be on a ship of incidents, so that if issues arise and must be dealt with, one should be able to look it up in the logbook to see the incidence of such events in the past number of years. Some people may say that is not a problem in their establishment, but the reality is that if one must report the incident, there is a record which must be communicated to the board of management. I very much welcome the reference to a school app, which seemed like a wonderfully simple and easy thing to get and both Senator Conway and I commented on it. Perhaps Senator Power might get her colleague to send it to us.

Resources are necessary for most things but the first step to unlocking resource is the willingness to recognise that there is a problem. Money can be found to deal with most problems. We have just allocated €40,000 for 70 training programmes for parents. We will see how that works. Usually, it has been everybody's experience, whether constituents or members of our own party or the wider public, the people who complain the most are never there when one wants to talk to them or they do not show up and they will give one grief when one tries to respond. We can respond to the issues that have been raised. We are in a relatively better place now than we were. First, there is broad social consensus across this House and I think in society generally. I strongly welcome the cross-party support and the constructive engagement and criticism that it entails. I will respond to it.

The next stage is to implement this strategy and to monitor it. There are steps which the Members of this House as public representatives can take. Many Members are invited at regional or national level to parents' councils, management groups to teachers' councils. It is not just during the formal visit of the Minister in which people listen and talk about issues, everybody's engagement is critical and is part and parcel of raising the level of comprehension and support.

Many people felt in the past that one could not do very much about this problem. We can do a lot if we want to and the most important step has been taken. I want to confirm that it has been reaffirmed in this House that the most important step we can take is to acknowledge that we do have a problem, and that we must confront it, because sadly the poignant tragedy in County Donegal, in which two sisters died, is just one of the tragedies that brings home to us the extreme consequence of the failure to recognise the problem.

An Cathaoirleach

That concludes the statements. When is it proposed to sit again?

Senator Maurice Cummins

On Tuesday next, at 2.30 p.m