Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 238: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on whether each secondary school should have an anti-bullying policy in place; the guidelines her Department has issued in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6295/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Every school should have in place, as part of its code of behaviour, a policy which includes specific measures to deal with bullying behaviour. Such a code, properly devised and implemented, can be the most influential measure in countering bullying behaviour in schools. My Department, in its document entitled, Guidelines on Countering Bullying Behaviour in Schools, has provided the framework within which individual school management authorities may meet their responsibilities for implementing effective school based policies to counter bullying. These guidelines were drawn up following consultation with representatives of school management, teachers and parents. The purpose of the guidelines is to assist schools in devising school based measures to prevent and deal with instances of bullying behaviour and increase awareness of the problem among school management authorities, staff, pupils and parents. They are sufficiently flexible to allow each school authority to adapt them to suit the particular needs of the school. The guidelines remind schools of their responsibility in formulating a written code of behaviour and discipline which should include specific measures to counter bullying behaviour.