Action Plan for Education 2016-2019 has a specific action to enhance guidance counselling at second-level as resources permit.
Measures announced by my Department as part of Budgets 2016, 2017 and 2018 mean that 500 of the 600 guidance posts that were withdrawn in Budget 2012, are now restored to schools, including schools in North County Kildare, from September 2018.
These 500 posts are allocated separately and transparently on each school's staffing schedule. These posts have been ring-fenced so they can only be used for guidance activities and to meet the guidance needs of the school.