Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 25 Oct 1994

Vol. 446 No. 3

Written Answers. - School Attendance Enforcement.

Peadar Clohessy

Ceist:

64 Mr. Clohessy asked the Minister for Justice the number of Gardaí Síochána with responsibility for school attendance in the State; the procedures which are followed by them in the matter; and the action, if any, taken in her Department following the filing of such reports. [2027/94]

Minister for Justice (Mrs. Geoghegan-Quinn)

Full-time school attendance officers are employed by the borough councils in Dublin, Cork, Waterford and Dún Laoghaire. Outside of the borough areas, the Garda Síochána are the enforcing authority for the School Attendance Act, 1926.

There are almost 800 gardaí acting as school attendance officers throughout the country. However, no member of the Garda Síochána is actually deployed full time on school attendance duties. All the members who perform such duties are available for, and perform, the full range of Garda duties and the work is generally undertaken in connection with juvenile liaison or community-neighbourhood Garda work.

The procedures followed by the gardaí in these cases are laid down in the Garda Code and are confidential. They are required, however, to furnish reports to the Department of Education, not to my Department.