Averil Power (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support the comments of my colleagues about the need to have local parental involvement. The amendments are not prescriptive because we did not want to use complicated language in primary legislation. They simply provide for a ballot of local people and this allows flexibility for the Minster and the Department to work out the best way of doing that. It does not have to be a complicated or expensive process. One day could be nominated on which people would have to attend to vote with the polls open for a few hours. That is the reason the amendments are general. We do not propose that the Department should run an overly expensive or cumbersome system but, at the same time, there is a need to ensure transparency and there is also a need for parents to feel an involvement in the process and an opportunity to take part and stand for election rather than nominating somebody. That will not take away from the national bodies that do good work and that need more support. Last year the parent's council organised a conference to which it invited its counterparts in Scotland to talk about the work they do. They referred to the emphasis that has been put on parental involvement and education there. We traditionally have not been great in Ireland at getting parents involved as active stakeholders in education. This is one aspect of that and we deliberately did not make the language too detailed. If the Minister accepted the amendments, it would be within his capacity and that of his officials to come up with a system with a local element. It is important to insist on that local element. I acknowledge the Minister's comment that some ETBs might do it this way but others might add an additional learner. When a requirement is provided for, everybody takes it seriously and it would be seen as a signal from the Minister that he wants the boards to make sure that they make an effort to involve parents and that is the spirit in which we tabled the amendments.