Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The difficulty is that the deployment of teaching staff in schools and the range of subjects they offer in our education system is a choice made at individual school level, and they are not dictated by the Department, outside of the main subjects.I will consult the Minister and officials to ascertain exactly what can be done in this regard. The Senator's proposed solution involves schools co-operation at local level, which is permitted in any case. This matter is not dictated by the Department. I will discuss the case, on which I do not have all the details, with officials to ascertain if the Department can provide any help on this matter. It appears, however, that it could probably be resolved with some co-operation at local level. In general, the Department does not dictate to schools what subjects they offer.