Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am glad the witness mentioned Webwise because I intended to ask about the office's relationship with it. The witness speaks a great deal about education and continuing professional development, CPD, in schools for teachers. There is a conflict in my mind around this. I am a parent. Is there an onus on the parent to have the primary responsibility in respect of educating his or her child about Internet safety? To say that I have mental blockages about using the technology and so forth is not really sufficient in this day and age. A parent teaches his or her child the safe cross code, road safety and all sorts of other safety mechanisms. I have a perception, and the witnesses can correct me if I am wrong, that sometimes parents will say that it is the role of the school through PDST, Webwise and so forth to educate their children on Internet safety. Webwise does not necessarily reach every school and not every teacher has taken up the CPD. Representatives of Webwise have appeared before the committee. If the CPD is not inculcated within the teaching and academic institutions as a core subject, it is likely that there will be a great deal of slippage in this regard. What is the witnesses' perspective on that? I believe every teacher should be equipped compulsorily, but how do we marry the role of the teacher with the role of the parent? I am sorry if I am a little long-winded but the witnesses understand what I am saying.