Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In respect of amendment No. 31, the power to nominate parents to ETBs rests with national associations of parents. It will be a matter for them through their network of local associations to decide how they nominate parents to each board. On that basis, I do not propose to accept this amendment. While parents' representatives are to be nominated by national associations of parents, those nominated must be parents of children who are registered as students in an ETB facility. This is crucial and an improvement on the current position whereby parents of registered students do the electing but the representatives themselves do not have to be parents of students in a VEC school. To underline this, by virtue of section 32, a person will cease to be an ETB board member if he or she ceases to have a child attending an ETB institution. The legislation is further empowering parents in the local community and those who are parents of children attending ETB schools rather than diminishing that power. On that basis, I do not propose to accept Amendments Nos. 32, 33 or 34.

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