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

The Department has not done the work on this, so I have. I asked the ETBs, and, insofar as they have responded, the picture is pretty poor. According to Longford-Westmeath ETB, approximately half the secondary schools have not undertaken the consultation. The response in the Limerick-Clare ETB was patchy, and in Waterford-Wexford it is approximately half and half, some of which have done this. In Carlow-Kilkenny ETB, one school has completed the consultation. Kerry, Cork and Kildare-Wicklow are better than most ETBs and, for the most part, they appear to have implemented the circular. In Tipperary, only one school has implemented the circular. The Louth-Meath ETB, in my own area, has not given me the full information. However, I know that in one school where this has become an issue, Ratoath, the circular was commenced this year, almost a year after it was issued. Listening to people at a meeting last night, including the Minister's colleague, Deputy Regina Doherty, there was utter dissatisfaction over how this is being implemented.

Schools feel lost on this - they do not have the Department's support on implementation of circulars on digital learning - and parents feel utterly lost because they are worried about smartphone addiction. We have seen what has happened in recent months with stories about phones and what is on them. The Department is not helping. Fianna Fáil would ban smartphones in schools up to junior cycle.

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