Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I refer to the commitment in the programme for Government to review the school curriculum at primary and second level and the promised legislation on a parents and students charter. There was an interesting debate in the House yesterday evening on relationships and sexuality education, RSE. The Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton, gave a commitment that the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, would carry out a full review, in particular of RSE and social, personal and health education, SPHE. In view of the pressures on pupils, including mobile phone contact, the Internet, consent, obesity, health eating, mental health, relationships and sexuality, I ask the Tánaiste and the Government to give a commitment to the House regarding a date for the review of the primary and second level curriculum, in particular, with a view to placing on a statutory and mandatory basis a badly needed learning for life programme.

It is important to mention that, with other Members, I queued this morning to receive numbers. Deputy Pat Buckley was not in the queue.

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