Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

No. This is as a result of the various policies, seminars, guidelines that have been issued, the pilot projects that exist and the fact that all schools are now required to have an anti-bullying policy. The best way to deal with this is in the context of the code of behaviour of the individual school which would be signed up to by staff, parents and children. That makes the penalties and sanctions clear to each student and informs him or her of the attitude of the school to bullying and it is having a real impact.

I am familiar with the anti-bullying programme in Trinity College, which is one of many pilot projects. The Cool School anti-bullying project in the former North Eastern Health Board area is being implemented in 80% of schools in Counties Meath, Louth, Cavan and Monaghan and the pilot project from the Navan Education Centre is also being extended.

The Trinity College programme was funded by my Department based on the Norwegian model. Last year, well into the academic year, after the school in-service programme had been arranged, the TCD centre sought funding to be included in this year and it was far too late to do it. Last year, during the summer, we gave approval, despite a late application, to run a summer course in Trinity College for preventing and countering bullying behaviour in schools' practical intervention work.

We are open to considering all programmes that might be of benefit. It is important this is done in conjunction with the SPHE programme and the schools' development planning initiative to support all of the work being undertaken. At the end of 2004, DCU also published research on bullying and the effect of the anti-bullying measures.

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