Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I apologise that I missed the first presentation because I was attending a meeting of the Business Committee and trying to multitask. Nevertheless, I have read the submissions and was present to hear our guests' responses to members' questions.

This is an important issue. It has been hidden but we are shedding light on it. People know a great deal about many educational issues but very few know about the issue of reduced timetables. Do all our guests support the returning of data to the Department? Mr. Goff stated it would be easy enough to put an extra field on the pod. If it was a recommendation, would they support it? One of the most important steps seems to be that the Department should know the extent of the matter.

Mr. Golden stated the use of reduced timetables should be by agreement with parents. Is it always decided by agreement with parents? Are there discussions with parents, or is it just the phone call which Deputy Catherine Martin mentioned? As Ms Dempsey stated, sometimes parents understand and agree that a reduced timetable is appropriate for a child who might have particular health issues or where the parent recognises that attending school all day is a difficulty for the child. Do our guests agree that reduced timetables should be used in consultation with parents at all times?

My next question might be more appropriately directed at the Department rather than at our guests. When a child is not given his or her constitutional right to attend school for education, what right does he or she have to an alternative outside the school? It seems a corollary that if a child is not receiving his or her educational support in school, he or she should receive it elsewhere.

There seems to be a general agreement that a reduced timetable should be a last resort, that is, that it should be rare and used only where other interventions have been made. According to the first contributions, however, it seems to be fairly widespread. While there may be an ideal of how it should operate in schools, it seems there are schools where that is not the case and where children are regularly put on reduced timetables. I would like there to be clear information about when and how it happens, who is consulted and whether the Department knows. It should not be murky and hidden. Rather, it should be clear and public, and there should be alternative support for the child.

My first questions, about sharing data by agreement, are probably most suited to Mr. Goff and Mr. Golden.