James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator. I welcome the opportunity to outline the steps that my Department will take in this important area and confirm my commitment to working with my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, to ensure that children's rights are promoted and protected.

Comhairle na nÓg are local councils for children and young people aged 12 to 17 years that give them a voice in the development of local policies and services. They are the recognised national structure for participation by children and young people in decision-making in all 31 local authorities. Dáil na nÓg is the national youth parliament for 12 to 17-year-olds. It is a biennial event to which 200 representatives from Comhairle na nÓg are elected as delegates. The topics discussed at Dáil na nÓg are chosen by young people themselves in the 31 Comhairle na nÓg.

Each of the 31 Comhairle na nÓg elects one representative to the national executive to serve for a two-year period. The role of the Comhairle na nÓg national executive is to follow up on the top recommendation from the previous Dáil na nÓg and seek to have it implemented. These structures are supported by a dedicated citizen participation unit in my Department, the role of which is to ensure that children and young people have a voice in the design, delivery and monitoring of services and policies that affect their lives at national and local level. It collaborates with other Departments, statutory bodies and non-governmental organisations.

As the Senator has pointed out, the topic for discussion at Dáil na nÓg in November 2015 was the need for young people to have a stronger voice in their education and schools. Workshops were held at the event to allow the 200 young delegates to explore the issue under the following four topic headings: subject choice; transition year; what happens in the classroom; and uniforms and personal appearance. The topic of what happens in the classroom was voted by delegates as the most important area on which they need to have a stronger voice. The most commonly raised issues under this topic were teacher behaviour, discipline, how students are treated, student voice, class size and teaching methods. Developing this topic will form the core of the work of the incoming Comhairle na nÓg national executive.

I am pleased to say that a significant change has been made to the way the work of the national executive will be supported. For the first time, at my invitation, Dáil na nÓg 2015 was attended by the Minister relevant to the topic under discussion, who was the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy O'Sullivan. She gave a commitment that officials from her Department will work with my Department in supporting the Comhairle na nÓg national executive over the next two years. This is part of a new mechanism to connect Comhairle na nÓg with Brighter Outcomes, Better Futures, which is the national policy framework for children and young people for the period 2014-20.

Into the future, the Minister responsible for the topic under discussion will attend Dáil na nÓg and nominate lead officials from his or her Department to work with my officials in supporting the Comhairle na nÓg national executive. In addition, a steering committee of key policy makers will be established to support the national executive. Direct engagement between the Better Outcomes, Brighter Futuresimplementation structures and the Comhairle na nÓg national executive will also take place.

The first meeting of the new national executive took place on Saturday, 16 January. It began the process of exploring the issues raised at Dáil na nÓg to identify the precise aspects of the topic "what happens in the classroom" that those involved wish to pursue. The Department of Education and Skills is appointing a senior official to work with my Department to support the national executive in achieving the changes in the education system called for at Dáil na nÓg 2015.

I wish to confirm the importance of this issue and look forward with interest to the outcome of the work that Comhairle na nÓg will be doing in this area.