Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

During the passage of the Education (Amendment) Bill 2012 through Dáil Éireann, a number of amendments, five in all, were made to the Bill. These were made both on Committee Stage, which was taken on 29 March, and on Report Stage, which was taken on 2 May. Three of the five amendments were introduced following advice received from the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to the Government and the Office of the Attorney General.

Amendment No. 1, the first of these, was introduced on Committee Stage. It provides additional guidance for the Minister of the day when making procedures and determining matters under the Education Act. This amendment will require the Minister, in carrying out his functions, to have regard to the following: best practice in teaching methods; value for money; and quality outcomes for students. This puts in place more restrictions on how the Minister of the day carries out his or her functions, by ensuring that the principles and policies to which he or she must have regard are spelled out in primary legislation. This stipulation will be in addition to the requirement to consult with stakeholders in education, where this is provided for under the Act. The Office of the Attorney General advised that this amendment was necessary in order to ensure that the discretion of the Minister is limited by specifying the considerations to which he must have regard.