Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all of the witnesses for coming in to the committee. As policymakers, we are in a much better place than we were 20 or 30 years ago since we now are much more aware of the incidence of school bullying and the impact that can have on the mental health of children.

There are four contributors in terms of people who have responsibility for this and, in the first instance, I will ask Dr. Colman Noctor a question on the role of parents. Parents will have an influence in trying to ensure that their kids do not become bullies. They also want their kids to have a protective mechanism if they are being bullied and know what to do. Then there are other factors to do with schools, children and the State. What does Dr. Noctor think that parents can do to change the culture of bullying before their kids get to school?