Dr. Niall Muldoon:

The Deputy referred to the online media Bill. From our point of view, of course, it will have a role and will be very important legislation to look at the edges of criminality around this area. When talking about school bullying and starting from a young age, the answer lies in the culture of the schools. That is really where we need to make a significant difference.

I urge members of the committee, as legislators, to consider the Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill, which was set up to be an opportunity for schools, students and their families to engage in the processes and cultures they want in their schools. It proposes the automatic generation of a charter, which is reviewed on a yearly basis, and which allows for that informal engagement with families and children when there is an issue and sets up that respect element. That is the way to generate the culture consistently throughout the country. That will be the key to it as far as I am concerned.

Certainly, the online media Bill will highlight many of the areas. I mentioned earlier that the bullying procedures date back to 2013 and are probably out of date in some areas. Certain issues were not happening as much back then. The criminalisation of our children is not the way forward; it is key to have respect and prevention of bullying.