Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing my time with my colleagues, Deputies Fiona O'Loughlin and Declan Breathnach. We in Fianna Fáil acknowledge and support the call from the Citizens' Assembly and the Oireachtas committee on the eighth amendment for improvements in sexual health and relationship education in schools, youth clubs and other settings. Similarly, we acknowledge and support the calls from the joint Oireachtas committee on the eighth amendment in regard to second level schools, and we also acknowledge the concerns expressed in the Dáil Chamber. We acknowledge and support the committee's recommendation for a thorough review of sexual health and relationship education. For the reasons the Minister outlined, however, we have a principled objection to this Bill on the basis that Ireland has never legislated in law for a curriculum of any type. Instead, we left it to expert reviewers, namely, the NCCA, to consult bodies in education. We have never put in law what should be taught in our classes. We have left it to teachers and other experts to decide, and politicians have not got involved. They should not if we want to provide the best possible fact-based and respect-based education.

The Minister has announced a review of relationships and sexuality education in schools, to be undertaken by the NCCA, along the lines called for by both the Citizens' Assembly and the Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. This review will cover both the curriculum and support materials in addition to the serious concerns over the delivery of the curriculum to students. It is our wish in Fianna Fáil - we assume it is the broad wish in the Dáil - that this review be carried out, concluded and implemented as expeditiously as possible. That is our one concern over the process. On balance, it seems that the process will actually happen more quickly than legislation, considering the way legislation is going. That has been acknowledged by others. It is essential from our point of view that the process be engaged in as thoroughly and expeditiously as possible.

The joint Oireachtas committee decided some months ago, for its 2018 work programme, to seek expert input and carry out a review of relationships and sexuality education. The Chairman can speak for the committee in that regard in due course. By specifically providing for the content of the curriculum, this Bill goes against all precedent. It is a bad precedent to set. Children and young adults are best served by the NCCA, which effectively involves teachers, educationalists and other professionals seeking expert views from outside groups, as I acknowledge the Deputies who introduced this Bill have done. The council would come up with a detailed curriculum that undoubtedly will have many of the items the Deputies have set out in legislation. On that basis, we cannot support the Bill. I have said this before about other educational matters. I talked about a smart phone ban last week. I would not like to legislate for that. The less legislation in education, the better. The education system, involving teachers and educationalists, can react to matters as they arise. The relationships and sexuality curriculum is over 20 years old. There is no doubt that many aspects of it require review but there are also quite positive aspects. At the time, it would have been highly controversial. I certainly remember controversy. There is little controversy over it now and people support it.

We want to see the review carried out as soon as possible. As a member of the Oireachtas education committee, I invite anybody interested to make a submission to the committee by Friday. As the Chairman will outline, many people have already made submissions. It will take a lot of committee time, which is limited, to hear from everybody. Their voices will be very important.

The other aspect of this Bill about which we have concern is that the amendment on the characteristic spirit of schools has been produced without any consultation with the education partners.

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