Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister and her officials for introducing this Bill, which has been widely acknowledged as important. I hope it will give balance to the situations which arise within schools. The Minister has stated her wish to introduce root and branch reform. Some roots have been certainly established through this Bill. Other roots will also have to be planted in the future, as will branches.

I hope the resources necessary for implementation of the Bill's provisions are made available at national level and not only in respect of the 50 schools already identified. Most schools in the country have been given the opportunity to make a submission. Schools that have not done so should be requested to make a submission. Every school must be involved to ensure the legislation is implemented successfully because the procedures and policies must be in place in every school. Few school principals can say they do not have problems with individual students now and again but it would be terrible if the schools that have come forward were identified as experiencing serious problems and placed at a disadvantage with competing schools in their areas.

The resources provided for schools in Ireland pale into insignificance when compared with those provided in other countries. I outlined examples earlier. I hope this issue will be addressed. Where children fall victim to situations such as this, there should be adequate staff and facilities to permit them to remain within the education system, even if it is outside the formal structure. They should receive continuing education and we should not be wanting on resources. For instance, court decisions are handed down regarding juveniles but no places are available to detain them. However, under this legislation, all those who cannot be accommodated within regular school structures will be assisted to continue their education. That is why I asked the Minister to consider carefully the outreach mechanism to address this issue. They should be provided with resources where such cases arise.

I welcome the legislation and hope it will lead to an environment where children can be taught without being disrupted by other students, teachers can get on with their job in the best interests of pupils and school management will not have to devote most of its time to procedural letters in response to this legislation. A number of schools are in crisis because of the difficulties associated with educational disadvantage and other issues which cause children to lose out. I hope the legislation will respond positively and quickly to these problems in order that it can be viewed as a flagship from here on.