Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister to the House. I appreciate the fact she has come in person to the House and taken time out of her busy schedule to deal with this Adjournment matter.

Both the Minister and I were teachers before entering politics. A lady came to my office recently and told me her daughter attends a school in Carlow town. The school day starts at 9.20 a.m. but the school has now introduced a rule that the children cannot access the building until 9.15 a.m. This may be tolerable in May, June and September when the weather is good but it presents difficulties in the winter months. I appreciate the question of who is in charge and the liability of teachers and principals may be a grey area in this context. In most schools many staff members arrive early in the morning and would have no difficulty with the children accessing the classrooms, especially on a bad morning.

I ask the Minister to clarify the procedure in the case of a school where formal classes begin at 9.20 a.m. When are children entitled to enter the building, especially on a wet day? Are schools permitted to introduce local by-laws? For instance, a boys' school next door to the school in question has a different set of rules. I left teaching three years ago and since then teachers are payed for lunchtime supervision. This may have had a knock-on effect. I appreciate the Minister coming to the House to clarify the matter.