Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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5. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the arrangements in place for parents and parent representative organisations to raise concerns directly with her Department regarding the national education curriculum and provision of educational resources; and the frequency with which she personally meets with such bodies. [54436/26]

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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What arrangements are in place for parents and parents' representative organisations to raise concerns directly with the Department regarding the national education curriculum and the provision of resources such as books, etc.? How frequently does the Minister meet with these organisations, stakeholders and parental bodies?

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The National Parents Council, NPC, is the representative body for parents of children in primary and post-primary education. It serves as an important channel of communication between parents and my Department. Annual funding is provided to support its work, including €765,782 in 2025. The National Parents Council represents parents’ views on education policy, curriculum reform and educational resources, ensuring that parental perspectives are reflected in policy development, implementation and decision-making.

The NPC is on the primary and post-primary education forums, which support the planning and sequencing of change across the school sector. The National Parents Council is also a key stakeholder of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, and its advisory structures, ensuring that parents’ perspectives inform curriculum development and related resources across early childhood, primary and post-primary education. In addition, the NCCA facilitates parental participation through surveys, written submissions, consultation events and focus groups. It represents parents on a wide range of Department-led groups, including those relating to special education, senior cycle redevelopment, DEIS, anti-bullying procedures, student and parent supports and disability participation and consultation.

The NPC is also on the convention on education, ensuring that parents’ views are reflected in national discussions on the future direction of education in this country. My Department has also engaged with the National Parents Council on the development of the Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill.

I met with the National Parents Council in March of this year. In addition, both the parents council and individual parents may raise concerns directly with me and my Department regarding the curriculum, educational resources and other education matters. This direct engagement helps ensure that parental views inform policy development and decision-making at national level.

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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Confidence in our education system depends on quality resources but parents remain seriously concerned about inappropriate material that is being promoted in our schools, libraries, etc. Concerns have been raised in relation to the book What's the T? by Juno Dawson, which contains sexually explicit material and was promoted to children by Children's Books Ireland and RTÉ. It received significant publish backlash, and rightly so. It has been reported that a teacher raised concerns with the Department in an email back in March 2023, and indeed the former Minister for justice, Charlie Flanagan, raised this personally with the Minister's predecessor in December 2023. Despite those concerns being raised, the book remained recommended as a good resource for children.

Very plainly, what has the Department done since this controversy broke? What review has happened? Can the Minister outline to the House the results of that review, if it took place at all?

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I do not know exactly what the Deputy is asking me in relation to the Department of education. I do not know if it is a book used in schools but, so the Deputy understands how it works, in regard to schools that use textbooks or other teaching and learning resources, that is a matter for the individual school. Decisions around materials are made at a whole-school level. Textbooks are commercially produced and my Department does not endorse publications, products or services from individual, commercial or other providers. Any concerns regarding material included in specific textbooks should be raised with relevant publishers.

From an education point of view, I have absolute confidence in our teachers. There is a huge amount of training and supports. We have Oide, which has in-service days. We have curriculum reform and a huge amount of consultation and training happens around that. It is always age-appropriate and I think schools are very well aware of any issues that parents may have and parents may come and talk to schools directly. We have a very good track record in relation to that.

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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Is the Minister aware of the controversy surrounding the What's the T? book by Juno Dawson? Is she aware that the book was promoted by Children's Books Ireland? That is very important.

The idea that the Minister would say she is basically not responsible is, I believe, questionable. She is the Minister for education; the buck stops with her. For her to say she is not responsible is unacceptable, in my view. The Minister has such an enormous responsibility for the children of this country and if it is the case that there is inappropriate material being promoted to children, she actually is responsible and it is her job, I believe, to make sure that never happens again and that there are robust processes in place to make sure no child will be subjected to sexually explicit, age-inappropriate material in our schools and libraries and promoted by Children's Books Ireland and RTÉ.

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I will repeat it for the Deputy. In regard to our schools, I come from a teaching background myself. I do not know exactly what the Deputy is inferring in relation to the education system.

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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Is the Minister aware of the What's the T? book?

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I have not read that book but what I can tell the Deputy in relation to our education system is that, be it social, personal and health education, SPHE, or relationships and sexuality education, RSE, there is a huge amount of consultation between schools and parents.

With regard to the NCCA as our curriculum is developed, there is huge amount of consultation. Our teachers are so well trained in this country to make sure that when they are engaging in SPHE, for example, they are ensuring that all of our children are in a safe and supported environment within our schools and that any lessons are age appropriate. Where parents have concerns, they can approach and contact their schools. I know of cases where parents will reach out to schools and where schools will actually hold information nights for parents in advance of, for example, a SPHE lesson so that they were very aware of what their children are going to be taught in relation to any particular sensitive area but it is always age appropriate. We always have to make sure that our schools are inclusive, that we support our young people and that they feel safe and supported.