Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister on the seminar he has arranged. It is a constructive development on which there has been positive feedback.

On education, I never cease to be impressed by the Minister for Education and Skills. As a member of the same party as the Minister, I may be biased but his ability to take on issues, listen and act is highly impressive. Should the well-being cycle to which he referred also be provided in primary schools? Is that the next step?

Much has been said about banning mobile phones.

I refer to my previous comments on that. Without calling it a ban, do we need to look at a policy where phones are just not allowed in schools? Children would play and do the things that this dinosaur used to do back in the day, develop social skills, reach their developmental goals and so on. Is this something we need to look at? Reference was made to digital leaders. Would this also apply to primary schools? While we are not encouraging the pupils to be online and doing unsuitable things too early, if they are going to be online, then it is a fine line to balance. I welcome the Minister's comments on this.