Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I hear the Deputy loud and clear. If there is any agency or organisation that has developed technology that will assist us in the Webwise programme that is delivered to all schools, then, obviously, we have to listen to it. Perhaps this should not be exclusive and I do not want to give the Deputy the impression that there are not other people available. If this company is successful and established, and is doing exactly what parents and educators want, which is to ensure we guard our children, we certainly have to learn with it and co-operate with it. I can certainly re-engage and talk to my colleagues, and that is no problem.

We need to learn from the technology that is available from multiple platforms. The Webwise programme within our schools needs not only to be advanced at the speed the technology is improving and increasing, but it has to be consistent in every school in every county. Each of our schools is run by a board of management and those boards of management are responsible for devising policies, including digital strategies, bullying strategies and self-care strategies. There has to be consistency on this. We need to ensure that what happens in Donegal happens in Dublin and Dunboyne as well. On that basis, when we establish the online safety rules and their governance and enforcement in the legislation this year, it has to feed into a digital strategy in all of our primary and secondary schools.

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