Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 1: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason he recently decided to dismantle the information and communication technology advisory service for both primary and secondary schools in the context of the Government's promise to spend €252 million on developing ICT within Irish education. [26389/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The change to which the Deputy refers arises from a value for money review of the ICT support service undertaken by my Department, which will shortly be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. The review concluded that while the service is generally effective and efficient, the resources currently utilised by the operation of the service from the regional education centres would be better employed in focusing supports for ICT leadership and change within each school. The review highlights the need to ensure the integration of ICT is specifically incorporated into all support service activities funded by my Department and that it is recognised as an integral part of all curriculum development, support and training rather than as an optional add-on.

There are three vacancies among the 21 ICT adviser posts attached to the regional full-time education centres. A further post is due to be vacated in September following the retirement of an ICT adviser. Of the remaining 17 posts, 14 are filled by teachers on secondment from their teaching duties and three are filled on a non-secondment contract basis. These posts have been renewed annually. Against this background, the education centres have been advised by the National Centre for Technology in Education, NCTE, that my Department is not prepared to renew secondment arrangements for the 14 teachers seconded as ICT advisers. The NCTE has discussed the implementation of these arrangements with the education centres and the schools concerned and my Department will ensure that any difficulties arising in specific schools due to the return of the teachers concerned will be addressed. The position of the three non-seconded ICT advisers is under consideration.

The role of ICT co-ordinating teachers, with the support of school principals, will be prioritised in the provision of ongoing ICT support and advice to teachers. Local school-based and peer-to-peer support has been identified internationally as the most effective way to further ICT integration in schools.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

This emphasis on in-school promotion and support for ICT integration in learning and teaching is consistent with the findings of the report of the strategy group appointed to advise on the priorities for investment in ICT in schools and the evaluation report undertaken by my Department's inspectorate on the impact of ICT on teaching and learning. These reports will be published shortly.

I have previously indicated to the Deputy that I am reviewing the overall financial position for my Department, having regard to spending trends to date and emerging pressures, prior to making decisions on specific areas of expenditure such as ICT in schools. I expect to be in a position to make such decisions shortly.

A key area of the ICT in schools programme is the provision of broadband connectivity to schools. As the Deputy will be aware, my Department has worked in partnership with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Telecommunications and Internet Federation on the current schools broadband programme. I am sure the Deputy will welcome the launch this morning of the next-generation broadband policy paper, which includes the objective of equipping second-level schools with broadband connectivity of 100 Mbps and installing local area networks. I look forward to working with my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Eamon Ryan, in the pursuit of this objective.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Was this decision taken by the Minister or by his predecessor?

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The decision was taken by my predecessor.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Am I therefore right in saying that this decision was taken in March——

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I must add to my previous reply by stating that even though the decision was taken by my predecessor, having examined the files I would have come to the same conclusion.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I understand this decision was taken in March by the Minister's predecessor. Thus, it landed on the Minister's desk when he was appointed. Does the Minister think it acceptable that the way in which these ICT advisers learned of the abolition of their posts was on a news programme on RTE on 20 June? From March to June, nobody in either the Department or the NCTE informed the advisers of this position. Does the Minister feel this is an acceptable way to treat professionals?

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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It is not the way I would have preferred it to be done. I accept that. When the decision was taken, a strategy report was available and an evaluation was carried out by the inspectorate. To give the background to the notification process, on Friday, 20 June, the director of the NCTE first attempted to contact the chair of the Association of Teachers' Education Centres in Ireland, ATECI, to say that the renewal of contracts would not be taking place. Unfortunately the chair of the ATECI was not available until 4.30 p.m., at which time the issue was discussed. Letters to the education centre directors were e-mailed at 4.45 p.m. and hard-copy letters were posted the same day.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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When I raised the issue of ICT with the Minister during Question Time last May, I made the point that the Government had given a cast-iron commitment to spending €252 million over the lifetime of the national development plan. In the context of this issue and the Department's appalling record of supporting schools in enhancing technology, when will the Minister provide an opportunity for schools to draw down that money? Is that money in place?

Can the Minister tell the House whether the expert report given to the Department in September was doctored in any way? Why has this report not been fully published and placed out in the open despite the statement by the Minister's predecessor that this was the best way to decide how to spend the money?

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Under no circumstances am I aware that any doctoring of an independent report took place. I am quite satisfied it did not. It certainly has never come to my attention that such a thing would happen and I do not believe it would happen within the Department. We must bear in mind the evaluation that was carried out by the inspectorate. While it was accepted the education centres were performing a very important role, we must recognise that ICT, like education, evolves. They were set up in the early 2000s and now, nearly nine years later, we had to have another look. International practice would suggest it is far better to have a principal and a fully trained ICT co-ordinator within each school, providing leadership and ensuring that other teachers within the school are brought into play.

One of the issues that was pertinent in this decision was the impact the service was having. How well aware were schools of the existence of the education centres? My information from the evaluation was that levels of recognition were quite low. Obviously, while the centres were performing an excellent function in many ways, their impact was not equal to that of having the service within the school itself, in accordance with international practice.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Will that report be published soon?

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Yes, I intend to publish the evaluation and the strategy report together. I hope to be in a position to do that next week.