Mr. Seamus Mulconry:

In the most recent resource that patrons have provided to schools, there is a question. First, the class is asked to list out all the varying family types. Second, they are asked what they have in common. The answer is love. Therefore, yes, I do believe that we are providing materials for students where they are taught to respect one another and the various types of family that are out there. I do not have a concern about that.

I have many other concerns about how teachers need much more training in this area. They also need to be much more comfortable in delivering it. One problem that is not often noted about RSE is that no matter what one teaches in RSE, there will be a certain cohort of parents who will be annoyed, whether they are liberal or reactionary. It is a delicate area and teachers tend to shy away from it. If teachers had more training, they would be better able to engage with parents. Everybody would be more comfortable and all of us would do a better job.

The Senator mentioned the use of technology. There is evidence that increased use of technology is leading to shorter attention spans in human beings. In the future, the real competitive advantage will lie with those people who can concentrate for longer. I spent about ten years working in the technology sector. One of the things one has to understand about technology is that it is designed to be easy to use. That is the whole point of successful technology. We need to provide young people with a safe space up to a certain age before they engage with it. Then we have to control their interactions with it to some degree in order that they can learn the positives, the benefits and how to manage it. As I said earlier, technology is designed to be addictive. We need to be careful that children do not lose out on other activities or on the social engagement that comes from hanging around with a group of peers in the physical world. That is vitally important to their development.