Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support Senator Mooney 100% in what he has put forward. I ask the Minister to accept amendment No. 4 regarding parental representation on the education and training board. We outlined our argument on Second and Committee Stages. I appreciate the costs involved in the current electoral system to VECs. It is very costly, but all we are asking is that the Minister accept this amendment that the parents will be chosen through a ballot at local level. It is the most democratic way for parents who have children attending schools under the control or governorship of the ETBs. The parents of the young people attending schools under the control of the Cavan and Monaghan education and training board should be afforded the opportunity to pick their own representatives. I appreciate what the Minister is trying to do. All we are asking him to do is to accept this amendment and ensure that some mechanism, with as little cost as possible involved, would be used to give ownership to the parents and give the representatives a mandate to represent them at local level and not to pass it through to the national bodies. We have no difficulty with the national bodies conducting whatever form of election is necessary but we firmly believe that it should be done at local level, democratically and not left to national bodies to decide on nominations put forward to them. That would not be open and transparent.