Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In September 2017, this committee launched its report on positive mental health in schools and we made 18 recommendations to the Minister at that time with regard to the need to ensure supports are in place for our students, schools, communities and teachers, to help them to deal with the day to day challenges that they face on an ongoing basis and to assist school communities in coping with mental health issues when they arise. We agreed at that point that we would like to have further engagement with the Minister on the implementation of the recommendations that we put in place at that point which are contained in our report. On behalf of the committee, I welcome the Minister, Deputy McHugh, and his officials. I wish him well with his new responsibilities. On Saturday, when we heard that he was appointed to this position, we all wanted to wish him well and to offer him positive engagement with this committee. There are times when we need to call the Minister of the day to account and I know he would expect and appreciate that but we assure him of our support in working together to achieve positive changes within the education and skills system.

The format of this part of the meeting is that I will invite the Minister to make his statement for which I thank him. We received it before the meeting. We will have engagement with members of the committee following that.

Before we begin, I remind members of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise, or make charges against a person outside the House or any official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. I call the Minister to make his opening statement.