Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

It is correct that there must be parental consent when dealing with minors. I am talking about a scheme on a voluntary basis where there is agreement from boards of management, parents and students. Several private schools do this and I have looked at the analysis of the facility in Kent which appears to be successful and which is catching on.

In a case where a board of management, parents and students discuss this and say they are happy to have a random alcohol and drug testing programme for the school, will the Department of Education and Science support that process by perhaps supplying the facilities necessary to carry out random testing? If cases are discovered where drugs have gone beyond experimental use, could counselling facilities be provided?

The UNICEF report, in respect of alcohol and cannabis for young people aged 11, 13 and 15, makes the point that regular cannabis use is associated with depression, physical ill health, problems at school and other forms of risk taking. It may also trigger psychosis, especially in young people already prone to such conditions. When schools decide to establish a voluntary programme by agreement with the boards of management, parents and pupils, will the Department of Education and Science support that?

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