Mr. Eddie Ward:

We are operating to a plan which has been out there for several years, the Smart Schools, Smart Economy report published in 2009. That set out the roadmap of investment for schools. That scheme would have been completed towards the end of 2011. As part of that strategy, which expires at end of this year, there was significant investment to be made in CPD, continuing professional development, and the upskilling of teachers. There was also an emphasis on digital content. In other words, resources would be made available which would be suitable for use at primary and post-primary level.

There has been a sea-change in the technologies and devices available and young people's competence and comfort in using devices. It is a challenge for the schools to keep up with that.

Part of our work, in looking into the future and the evidence gathering for the upcoming strategy, is that we see what is happening in schools, what are the needs of teachers and how best to equip them in the future, bearing in mind that, as has been remarked, resources pose a challenge.

A significant amount of investment has been put in place. A key challenge around that is how that technology is being used. Major investment has been made in broadband and the quality of connections, in particular, the 100 Mb connection. Significantly, that will equip schools to access open education resources, allow for peer learning and allow for sharing of materials between schools. We will try to map what is going on at school level but the early evidence, from the first schools to have access to it, is that there is significant engagement happening. At this stage, I might hand over to my colleagues, Pádraig Mac Fhlannchadha and Ms Anne O'Mahony.