Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy for raising what he rightly says is a very important issue. I do not think any of us in our constituencies, communities or across the country have not heard from parents, teachers, boards of management, parents' associations and principals debating and grappling with this issue. Everything the Government wants to do in this space is actually about empowering parents, young people and school communities. My hometown of Greystones became one of the first parts of the country where the schools decided, of their own volition, to introduce a ban on smartphones in primary schools. It was really empowering because, all of a sudden, it removed the almost peer pressure of kids telling their parents they had to get a smartphone because someone else had one. All the parents came together and said they would not provide smartphones while their children were in primary school. This really took off and right around country now this has become the norm. The Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Helen McEntee, has taken a number of important decisions on this issue.

I want to assure Deputy Feighan the Government and the Minister are committed to supporting the safe and ethical use of the Internet by children and young people. Guidance will soon be provided by circular to all schools on putting in place policies to ensure schools are mobile phone-free zones during the school day and to support student learning by helping them to disconnect, to learn and to make friends without the distractions that can arise from the use of mobile phones. Further guidance will be provided to post-primary schools outlining the terms, conditions and mechanisms for post-primary schools to apply for funding to enable them to purchase secure mobile phone storage solutions.

Funding of €9 million in total was allocated in the last budget for this measure. In the coming days, we will see a new procurement process published. This central procurement arrangement will be available to schools in the autumn of this year. This will not delay schools in applying for and accessing funding for phone-storage solutions. An application process will be open to post-primary schools soon and the issuing of funding will commence shortly thereafter.

Schools will now be able to apply for funding for whatever phone-storage solution works best for them. Examples include the pouches referred to by the Deputy, lockable boxes, cubby holes and drop off and collection at the school office. Whatever works best for the school can be implemented. The funding from the budget remains in place. A new procurement process will be published in the coming days and schools will be able to seek to apply to draw down funding and put in place the phone-storage solution that works best for them. This is a pragmatic and sensible way to proceed.

I think it will be welcomed by school principals, teachers, boards of management, and I believe, young people, in many cases. We need to build on this. Across Government, we need to look at what more we need to do to allow our children be children and to allow them to learn and be educated in a safe environment in which you hear the sounds and voices of young people laughing and talking to each other rather than doomscrolling on their phones during the day.

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