Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 107 and 120 together.

The survey cited by the Deputy is focused on guidance counsellors, in particular on the time spent by them in a one-to-one setting giving career guidance and student counselling. It is important to note that guidance is a whole-school activity and does not only involve the guidance counsellor. For this reason, the implications of the survey are somewhat limited. Wherever possible, group work and class-based activity should be used to maximise the amount of time available for those pupils who are in most need of one-to-one support.

Section 9(c) of the Act requires schools to use their available resources to ensure students have access to appropriate guidance to assist them in their educational and career choices.

Given that guidance is a whole-school activity and does not just involve the guidance counsellor, the type of data suggested by the Deputy would not give the complete picture on guidance provision. The returns my Department receives from schools is focused on pupil enrolments and this information is used to determine staffing and grant allocations. I do not intend to add to the administrative workload of schools by requiring them also to submit the type of information suggested by the Deputy. The Department does not hold any information on guidance counsellors, including their qualifications. Having teachers trained as guidance counsellors is of course valuable but given that it is a whole-school activity, we need to be careful that an emphasis on qualifications does not result in a restriction on who can best contribute to the needs and welfare of students.

In regard to the number of hours guidance counsellors were given to do their work, it should be noted that schools have autonomy on managing guidance provision from within their standard staffing allocations. I do not intend to micro-manage schools in relation to guidance or indeed the subject choices they make. Furthermore, I am reluctant to add to their administrative workload by requiring them to make overly detailed returns to the Department. I am confident schools act in the best interests of students when determining how best to use the teaching resources available to them.

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