Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 77: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the steps her Department is taking to tackle alcohol and drug abuse among young people; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7873/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is aware of the concerns which have been raised about young people's behaviour with alcohol and drugs. For most young people, it is the misuse of substances — particularly alcohol — which is the greatest threat to their physical and emotional health and to their well being. As a consequence, students' engagement with their studies can be seriously affected. While education has a role to play in addressing the problem, behavioural change will not happen without the support and co-operation of parents, the drinks industry and society as a whole.

The drinks industry needs to adopt a more responsible attitude to the promotion of alcohol, especially in targeting young people, and retailers must ensure that the law on the sale of alcohol to those under the legal age limit is rigorously observed. Parents have a responsibility to help children and young people to adopt sensible and responsible attitudes and behaviours towards alcohol. The community as a whole needs to reflect on the general attitude to alcohol use.

Schools can also play an active role in addressing the problems and consequences of the misuse of alcohol and drugs through the SPHE — social, personal and health education — curriculum which focuses on developing an informed and sensible attitude to substances. Through the SPHE curriculum, students are given the skills and information to develop a framework for responsible and informed decision making about their health, personal lives and social development. In particular, the substance use module of the SPHE curriculum focuses on the issues relating to the use and misuse of a range of substances, with particular attention paid to alcohol and tobacco. While most young people are aware of the implications and consequences of misusing substances, including alcohol, the SPHE curriculum actively seeks to promote healthy and responsible choices by students in their lives.

All post-primary schools were required to implement the SPHE curriculum as part of the junior cycle core curriculum from September 2003. The 2003-04 return of pupil information from 743 post-primary schools indicates full compliance with this requirement. Ongoing support in the implementation of SPHE continues to be provided to schools through the post-primary SPHE support service. Supports are also being provided to schools through the SPHE support service for the development of substance use policies within which the use and misuse of alcohol and drugs can be addressed.

Under the national drugs strategy, my Department and the Department of Health and Children developed guidelines, in co-operation with the former health boards, to assist schools in the formulation of a drugs policy and to ensure that all schools had drugs policies in place. My Department issued the guidelines in booklet form to all schools following an extensive process of consultation that included management bodies, teacher unions, student unions and parents' councils.

The central objective of a school's substance use policy is the welfare, care and protection of every young person in line with the Education Act 1998 and the Education (Welfare) Act 2000. The policy is intended to address education concerning alcohol, tobacco and drugs and the procedures for managing incidents relating to these substances.