Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We agree that the major impact for children is how the education system treats them and deals with this matter. As the Senator said herself when we had one of our exchanges, it is much easier when a principal deals with this matter, becomes informed and that knowledge is shared across the system. Only a tiny minority of schools have dealt with this matter and discovered how it is managed when that information is moved across. The vast majority of interactions in regard to this matter take place in schools and that is where it has to be dealt with, which is right and proper. I firmly believe the Department of Education and Skills is better placed to deal with this matter rather than it being dealt with in the current Bill. Let us by all means see this. I know this will happen and will happen quickly. What will also happen is that there will be a period where we will have to have that interaction with the educational representatives, both the boards of management and the teachers' unions, and the parents. There is a job of work to be done but the Minister is well prepared and capable of doing so. I thank the Senator for not pressing the amendments.