asked the Minister for Education if all schools are required to report regularly to her on school attendance rates.
148.
Written Answers. - School Attendance Reports.
138.
asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the fact that, according to a report (details supplied), the best school attendance rate in the United States in 1985-86 was 95.7 per cent in Minnesota and the worst was 88.3 per cent in Massachusetts; and if she will give an equivalent Irish figure.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 138 and 148 together.
All national schools are required to furnish a return to my Department at the end of each month. This return includes figures for the average enrolment and attendance in the school during the month. However, this information is not aggregated on a county basis and, accordingly, the information sought by the Deputy is not available.
It might be mentioned that the latest reports of the school attendance committees for the Dublin and Cork areas indicate average attendances of 91.6 per cent and 93.4 per cent respectively. I also recently met a deputation of school attendance officers to discuss this matter.
The managerial authorities of all post-primary schools are obliged to record pupil attendances in school roll books. These are open to inspection by officials of my Department.
School authorities are not obliged to make regular returns to me on attendance rates. Accordingly, I am not in a position to make any comparisons with the figures on attendance rates in the United States quoted by the Deputy.