Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I hear the Senator's frustration but I say that I am absolutely committed to ensuring, in the first instance, that every child and young person in our schools should feel valued, supported, happy and safe in those schools. They must receive the education that they should across a variety of curricula, and specifically as referenced here the social, personal and health education and relationships and sexuality education, RSE. I am absolutely committed to ensuring they receive the correct, factual, most up-to-date and inclusive information so that, as I reiterate, every student and child would see and hear himself or herself reflected in the information being delivered.

I understand and nobody is more challenged than me when I hear about a review of a policy or this or that. It is the implementation that is the most important aspect. I hear that. I am not quite yet two years in my role and in that time I have ensured that there would be confidence among staff to deliver the information that must be delivered. We are rolling out this postgraduate programme. The work must be done. I come from this background and I appreciate the importance of having the curriculum laid down. I must say that and it is important and the bedrock of the process. The urgency and priority around it, however, means that in the interim we must have something else. I point to the toolkit we have that is crossing a variety of areas, including consent, domestic and gender-based violence, LGBTQI rights and all of that. That interim support is being offered.

We will move the greatest possible pace. As I stated, we have already given the timelines, whether it is for junior cycle, the new framework for primary or the senior cycle. I am cognisant of the Senator's frustration and that of others, and it is for that reason I am keen that in the interim we should have capacity, trained and confident staff. We must also have toolkits, resources and continuing professional development available to bridge the gap. For too long it has not been available and I know that. I am looking at the interim and the long term. We are doing all we can to ensure this is delivered appropriately.