Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 4: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the steps she will take to ensure all second level students receive relationships and sexuality education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10995/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, many positive developments in regard to the teaching of relationships and sexuality education, RSE, have taken place in recent years, and these have been further strengthened through making social, personal and health education, SPHE, a mandatory programme for junior cycle since September 2003. In addition, all schools are required to have an RSE programme at senior cycle.

Schools are currently supported in the implementation of RSE by the SPHE and RSE support services which are provided in collaboration with the health sector. The supports available to schools include guidelines on policy development, curricula and teacher guidelines, information for parents, teaching resource materials and teacher training. Schools are also encouraged to utilise the resources produced by the health promotion unit.

Earlier this month I launched a report, RSE in the context of SPHE: An Assessment of the Challenges to the Full Implementation of the Programme in Post-primary Schools, published jointly by the Crisis Pregnancy Agency and the Department of Education and Science. The report highlighted widespread support for both the broad principles and the content of the SPHE and RSE programmes from teachers, parents and health professionals and strong levels of interest and support from parents and students about the importance of RSE in schools.

The report also demonstrated increasing levels of implementation compared with earlier studies, with 76% of schools showing high or moderate levels of implementation, and with 90% of schools teaching RSE at some level. However, a clear need is highlighted to strengthen both implementation levels and consistency in regard to the content of RSE. In that context, my Department is taking a number of important steps which will remind all post-primary schools of their obligations in this area. It will update and re-issue the RSE policy guidelines and finalise a template on RSE policy in order to facilitate schools in developing and implementing RSE programmes; review and update RSE materials; develop lesson plans linked to a DVD resource on contraception, sexually transmitted infections and sexual orientation, in collaboration with the Health Service Executive and the Crisis Pregnancy Agency; and increase the level of information and training available to parents, building on a successful primary model and introduce a programme of subject inspections in this area with effect from 2007-08.

The availability of a national curriculum in SPHE at junior cycle has played a vital role in supporting increased implementation of RSE. I am aware of the development work undertaken to date by the NCCA in regard to a social personal and health education programme at senior cycle. This is now at an advanced stage, and I look forward to receiving the NCCA's recommendations in this regard at an early date. I am confident these initiatives will help to ensure full implementation of this vital aspect of social education in our schools.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for her reply. I was a little alarmed at first as she concentrated on reminding and updating. I welcome the fact it is intended to have subject inspections. However, if a subject is not being taught in a school, how can an inspection be carried out?

I am sure the Minister shares my main concern, which is the recent survey carried out by the Crisis Pregnancy Agency. This survey showed 11% of secondary schools are not teaching RSE to first and second year students. The percentage rises to 20% in third year, with a third of all schools not teaching the subject in the senior cycle. When interviewed on this matter, the Minister referred to the pressure on the curriculum etc. I share her concerns in this regard but does she agree this is an extremely important subject and we must ensure it is provided to all children?

The Government appears to be a little confused on this issue. Both Government parties publicly stated they want the age of consent lowered to 16 yet we are not ensuring necessary sex education is provided to young people in schools to furnish them with proper knowledge on this subject.

Is the Minister aware that in 2005 a total of 42 teenagers aged under 15 gave birth to children? I do not suggest this problem can be solved just by the provision of better sex education in schools but it will go some way towards addressing it.

How many subject inspections will be carried out in 2007? What type of information and training will be provided to parents? Will this be carried out within schools and if so, who will provide the service?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The report which I launched is a useful resource, not just for the Department but also for schools by showing not alone their findings but also what works in different schools. Schools employ different models of delivering RSE as part of their programme. In some schools, it is done by the classroom teacher while others bring in professionals from the HSE. It will be interesting for schools to read the report to see for themselves what might work.

I accept this is a crucially important part of the overall social, personal and health education. It is important for schools to realise there is nothing in the programme that would conflict with their ethos. Schools all over the country have found it is possible to teach all of the programme. I am especially worried that the schools that are least likely to implement the full programme are single sex boys schools. This is just as important an issue for boys as it is for girls. We need to get this message across strongly. The measures and supports will be available for all schools.

One of the recommendations in the report was that inspections take place. I was amused that people wished inspectors to go into schools. However, the schools themselves felt that it accorded a subject status if inspectors came to assess it. The inspectors have now been assigned to regional teams and will start in September. I cannot yet say how many inspections will take place, but they will be regional, cross-sectoral and cross-gender, taking in the various elements of the school system. That will give us a different status.

Another conclusion that came across in the report was that, where the entire school supports SPHE, it works very successfully. There should not be a single teacher isolated in his or her classroom. It is very important that the teachers themselves wish to teach the subject, which should not simply be assigned to someone who happens to have a spare period. If schools take all that on board, the principal is seen to support it, and other staff members support the teacher. It can be very successful.

One heartening finding of the report was that students, teachers and parents are all extremely positive. However, there has not been a public information campaign for parents since the subject was first introduced, when many fears had to be allayed. I hope that, as part of their information meetings for parents at the beginning of each year, schools will include advice regarding the programme's content. That could then become part and parcel of what they wish to discuss at home.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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When does the Minister anticipate 100% participation from schools to ensure that all children in secondary education are able to avail of this subject? Regarding inspections, she mentioned the HSE element and stated that some schools were bringing people in. We need a degree of flexibility on inspections, since if schools are teaching the subject in different ways, an inspector could say that one is wrong in comparison with another. However, it may be working for both. How does the Minister propose to deal with that?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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It is important to stress that the Department of Education and Science inspectors are obviously not there to inspect the HSE professionals. Rather they will consider the overall context of how the programme is delivered. The positive side of the report is that 90% of schools are teaching the subject at junior cycle. We will see 100% compliance when the SPHE curriculum arrives for senior level, since that gives schools something with which to work. I know that the NCCA is due to provide that soon. When it does, it will be of great assistance to schools. Once they have more up-to-date information, that will encourage them. We will actively encourage schools to view this as a very important part of wider education and not something that should be dropped when one approaches an examination, as currently happens.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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That was junior cycle, but what about senior cycle?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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SPHE is currently a compulsory part of the junior cycle programme, and we will obviously inform all schools of guidelines in that regard.