Deirdre Clune (Fine Gael)

It was informative in terms of how the courses developed and the language used in supporting young people not just in sexual relationships, but the relationships they have with individuals such as people sitting next to them on a bus or in the classroom and how to cope with those relationships. It is an excellent programme and is well constructed. I had concerns that, because of reaction from the floor, it was being chopped and changed and that relevant parts of the programme were being removed and the impact was lost. It struck me that those who are objecting probably had a well-structured and comfortable home environment for their children but the programme was aimed at the children in difficult situations at home or in difficult relationships and providing the opportunity and language to reach out and say that a particular situation is wrong and that help is needed. It was a very important part of the programme and it was butchered in some cases, which should not have happened.

It is an excellent programme. Members of Dáil na nÓg appeared before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Skills in January 2010 to discuss this matter. The Department of Education and Skills and the Crisis Pregnancy Agency conducted a review of the programme and the figures revealed a lack of uptake, particularly at senior cycle. An overcrowded curriculum, discomfort among teachers and the pressure in exam years were mentioned as reasons for this. These have all been mentioned in Senators' contributions.

I congratulate the Minister on his review and his approach to the junior certificate curriculum. Reducing the number of subjects and introducing continuous assessment will help-----