Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour) | Oireachtas source

First, we read today that more than 200 legal cases have been taken against parents due to school absenteeism issues and that more than 700 notices have been sent to parents across the country in the past year on the same issue. These are parents of children aged between six and 16, which is the legal requirement that children are to be in school who have missed 20 days or more. As the Leader will know, we passed all Stages of a Bill in this House that would bring four and five year old children under the auspices of the Education (Welfare) Act. This would mean that absenteeism could be addressed at an earlier stage in a child's school life. I ask the Leader if the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs could be asked to address the Seanad on the progress of that Bill through the other House of the Oireachtas because school absenteeism is an issue that can be best addressed at the earliest stage of a child's school life. If it can be addressed when the child is four or, more likely, five years of age in the school system, their patterns of school attendance will be greatly increased. If poor attendance has been embedded in the child's school experience until the age of six, before their legal requirement to be in school, that pattern of poor attendance will continue. I ask that the Minister would make herself available to come into the House to discuss the passage of this Bill, which she and the Government support. It is important that we see that legislation passed.

Second, I want to put on the record of the House how disappointed I am with rhetoric coming from various by-election campaign candidates. Anybody who understands inequality understands that this affects children profoundly. If one is the child of a Traveller, a Nigerian, an Albanian or an asylum seeker-----