Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 14 Dec 2000

Vol. 528 No. 3

Written Answers. - Education Bill.

Jimmy Deenihan

Ceist:

244 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science if the structure of the National Parents Council Post-Primary Association will change after the enactment of the Education Bill; if parent associations will affiliate to their constituent body and can only be represented on the National Parents Commission PP through the constituent body; if the Act will provide that parents' associations will be able to affiliate directly to the National Parents Commission PP; if the Act will provide that parents' associations will be obliged to affiliate directly to the National Parents Commission PP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30140/00]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods)

A national association of parents is defined in section 2 of the Education Act, 1998, as an association or other body of persons, which is: established by parents to represent the views and interests of parents with regard to education and to assist parents in exercising their rights and role in the process of the education of their children; established and organised on a national basis having its membership distributed over a substantial part of the State and recognised by the Minister for the purposes of the Act.

Section 26 of the Act states that where a parents' association in a school is affiliated to a national association of parents, the rules made by the association to govern its meetings and the business and conduct of its affairs will be in accordance with guidelines issued by the national association of parents, with the concurrence of the Minister.

These provisions have already been commenced.

The Act makes specific reference to the National Parents Council (Post-Primary) Limited, as a body which is currently recognised for the purposes of the Act. The structure of the council, and the manner of affiliation to it by the various parents' associations is a matter for the council and the parents' associations concerned.