Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy will be aware that last year I established a task force on student behaviour in second level schools. This task force produced a mid-year interim report and has recently completed its final report as scheduled. I am very grateful to the task force and its chairperson, Ms Maeve Martin, for the detailed consideration they gave to this broad area in a relatively short time.

The task force held 19 plenary sessions in 2005. All partners in education, including parents, students and teachers, were invited to make oral submissions to the task force. A plenary session with all the partners was held on 12 October 2005 and ten consultative fora were held throughout the country at a number of second level schools as well as at centres of alternative provision, such as Youthreach centres and youth encounter programmes. The task force invited, by public advertisement, submissions from interested individuals and groups and more than 150 submissions were received.

I received a copy of the task force's final report last month. I am considering it at present and will arrange for its publication shortly. I have indicated my clear intention of acting on this issue in a measured and effective manner. To this end, €2 million has been provided in this years Estimates to enable the implementation of the task force report to commence this year. I expect to be in a position to make further announcements on the detail of this implementation at the point of publication of the report.

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