Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for joining us and for their compelling submissions. We have been dealing with this issue for a couple of weeks now. It is always worth remembering as we get into the thickets of the different approaches and so on the weight and seriousness of this issue and the damage it can do for a long time into people's lives, not only students but staff, because school is a workplace and bullying can occur there as well.

My first question is to Mr. Irwin. There is a lot of emphasis on the restorative approach and it is very compelling and interesting. While that will immediately sit well with some schools and the culture within them, in other schools that is a big challenge in that their tradition might be more hierarchical. Does Mr. Irwin believe this philosophy can be easily applied across a broad range of schools? Has he come across resistance to it from teachers or, perhaps, parents and, if so, how were those challenges overcome? The philosophy behind it in terms of ensuring the perpetrator sees the wrongdoing and can improve on his or her behaviour is very compelling.