Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The implementation of the Action Plan on Bullying, which is being led by the Department of Education and Skills, is an important step in the Government’s absolute commitment to working with a broad base of interests to protect children and ensure a safer childhood.

I understand that the plan has been well received by the education partners, including school management bodies, teacher unions, principals’ groups and parent representative groups. It has been welcomed publicly by a number of these key stakeholders. My own daily contact with organisations, young people and their families throughout the country suggests a positive response to the need for this strategic focus. The results from the recent UNICEF report were quite disturbing concerning the levels of bullying here, although Ireland fared well on other criteria.

The actions set out in the action plan are being progressed. To successfully tackle the underlying causes of bullying behaviour we must ensure all relevant policies and services are fully engaged with this agenda. It is not a stand-alone issue. For example, initiatives such as the new Well-being in Post-Primary Schools: Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention, are addressing the issue of bullying in schools. As the Deputy may know, an additional €500,000 has been allocated to the education Vote to supplement the existing resources within the system dedicated to the welfare of our young people.

Since the action plan was published a number of initiatives have been rolled out. The first campaign was launched as part of EU Safer Internet Day in February and the Government supported a national anti-cyber bullying media campaign specifically targeted at young people. The second campaign, which I launched on 6 March, was the "Stand Up!" awareness week against homophobic bullying in second level schools. That was organised by BeLongTo youth services and was a key action point of the plan.

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