Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

They are probably covered by the provision whereby a child does not have to be taken until he or she is aged six. Traditionally, children attend school from an early age in Ireland. In small rural schools, they are sometimes taken in on their fourth birthday to ensure the numbers are maintained.

When the school enrolment issue arose, my predecessor, Deputy Noel Dempsey, took an initiative in Limerick, which has worked well, particularly this year. It probably took a year or so to bed down but 90% of students obtained their first choice school and more than 97% obtained a school in their top three. That is a significant success rate. The response to this issue was locally based and the problem was solved. Where problems arise, we may be able to address them in a similar manner rather than coming the heavy hand with regulations that will apply to all schools.

Under section 33(g) of the Education Act 1998, I am obliged to consult all the education partners, including the national association of parents, the school management association, trades unions and the staff associations. While recognising consultation is needed, the complex issues involved in going down this road and the policy issues and practices that must be examined, it is too prescriptive to state it must be done within a timeframe. However, I share Members' concerns and I am keeping an active eye on this issue. Once the evidence has been gathered during the audit by our regional offices, I will be able to determine more directly what action should be taken on this and, therefore, I do not propose to accept the amendment.

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