Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the debate that Sinn Féin has initiated, but I do not welcome its Bill. The definition of bullying is much too broad. It is dangerous, as it potentially criminalises children. Bullying is a complex issue and if we are honest we could all say that at some level we have all bullied and been bullied at some stage. The issue can be sensationalised, but we are talking about children in the Bill, sometimes as young as four or five. In some cases those being bullied and doing the bullying are from troubled backgrounds. I object to the burden the Bill places on school boards of management, in particular the elected officer. It puts a huge burden on one elected officer on the board. Who would want to take up such a position on a school board of management? We are talking about volunteers from among parents and members of the local community. They could inadvertently become an offender under the legislation.

I note also that the legislation specifies that there should be sanctions, which is a negative approach to tackling bullying. We must take a much more comprehensive and positive approach in the main. The Bill specifies that a person must report an incident of bullying to the elected officer within one working day. If that is not feasible such a person could find themselves in breach of the legislation. It is not clear what sanctions would apply if the legislation were breached by an elected officer or any other person involved. It is the wrong approach. The Minister’s approach is what is required, namely, a holistic, whole-school approach that is comprehensive and deals with the issue in a broader way. That includes, for example, mental health and emotional intelligence. Some schools in America now teach mindfulness. It is important to teach children not to bully and also how to deal with being bullied. A member of Comhairle na nÓg raised the issue before the joint committee. He said that the education system does nothing to promote self-confidence in young people and places a massive emphasis on academic development over social development, which is wrong and crazy. That should be the starting point for our approach to bullying.

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