Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I started working on the issue of consent a number of years ago and I was quite shocked at the reaction I got when speaking consent, understanding consent or understanding sex-positive parenting outside the education system. I gave a talk on negotiated sexual relationships and sex-positive parenting and I literally cleared the room; they left with their children. This is where we are at. We look at the education system but where does the interplay come in around parents who come from a particular ethos or way of thinking? I read the submissions and there are many different specialised areas within the topic. Do we break up the specialised areas in modules or do we train special facilitators to carry out all the functions around sexual education; LGBTQ+, minority groups, consent and cyber issues? Do we acknowledge that there is different expertise in different areas and that the topic is a running course through the whole of second level school, and whatever is introduced in primary school?

Deputy O'Sullivan asked about who is invited into schools. Obviously those involved would have to be regulated and come under the remit of the Department of Education and Skills as recognised bodies to carry out this type of work within schools.

I have a question for Ms Byrnes, which may refer to what she included in her submission. Will she explain what is actually meant by sexual competence?

I read the submission by Inclusion Ireland. The issue around consent for people with intellectual disabilities was not an area I had ever thought about. Deputy O'Sullivan spoke of it being all primary level. If we are to look at the issue from the perspective of intellectual disability, can Ms Lennon explain if it is to be a totally different programme or would it adopt existing or proposed programmes? Where does changing the culture come in? Some people with intellectual disabilities are still dependent on their parents. Will the parents have a say in this issue? Is the struggle with the parents in terms of a cultural shift and the acceptance that their child engages in sexual relationships? Obviously, and rightly, we need to shift that culture but how do we begin? Will Ms Lennon explain whether the programme would need to be completely specialised? We refer to age appropriate sex education but then refer to part of the school system as primary education. Is the age appropriate sex education in a mainstream school the same as age appropriate sex education in special schools? I ask this from a place of ignorance, not because I think it should be one way or the other.