Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I have allocated funds to 200 schools, when initially I announced that I would only cater for 150. Hence, the Department has invited 200 schools to participate in the process. They will receive enhanced guidance and supports. In addition, they will be provided with home-school community liaison which I accept to be extremely important for such schools by linking the students with parents and the wider community. Other supports include the junior certificate support programme, the leaving certificate applied, the school completion programme and other initiatives. As Deputy Crawford rightly noted we must try to use the carrot rather than the stick. The provision of these extra supports to 200 schools can help where there are particular difficulties and particular disadvantage.

Hence, in the past year I have taken a variety of actions in a range of areas which I believe will help to improve the learning environment in our schools. These will be supplemented by specific actions to be taken in response to the recommendations of the final report of the task force on student behaviour. As I stated earlier, I will set out the steps which I will take after the launch of the report in a few weeks' time. I have indicated my clear intention of acting on this issue in a measured and effective manner. To this end, I have secured the provision of €2 million in my Department's Estimates for 2006 to enable me to begin acting on the recommendations of the task force's final report immediately. I am unaware of any other situation in which money will be provided to implement recommendations of a report before it has been received, let alone published.

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