Deirdre Clune (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

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 that 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.