Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 15: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of primary schools which do not offer the Stay Safe programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39529/05]

Gerard Murphy (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 29: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason the Stay Safe programme has not been made mandatory in all primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39528/05]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 39: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she has received updated information on the percentage of schools participating in the Stay Safe programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39656/05]

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 102: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on whether schools in receipt of moneys from the Exchequer should be required to offer the Stay Safe programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39530/05]

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 105: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if the Stay Safe programme will be placed on the primary school curriculum to ensure that all schools offer the programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39531/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 15, 29, 39, 102 and 105 together.

Child protection and the implementation of the Stay Safe programme for all children in every primary school are priorities for my Department. The Stay Safe programme, which is also known as the child abuse prevention programme, CAPP, is a primary school based approach to the prevention of child abuse. The programme aims to reduce vulnerability to child abuse through the provision of in-service training for teachers, parent education and personal safety education for children at primary school level. The Stay Safe programme is a four stage approach to preventing child abuse involving: children's safety education; teacher training; parent education; and community awareness.

The programme aims to give children the skills necessary to enable them to recognise and resist abuse/victimisation and teaches them that they should always tell an adult that can help of any situation which they find unsafe, upsetting, threatening, dangerous or abusive. Stay Safe is a personal safety skills programme which can be used with primary school children from senior infants to sixth class. It seeks to enhance children's self-protective skills by participating in lessons on safe and unsafe situations, bullying, touches, secrets, telling and strangers.

An initial one day in-service training seminar on the Stay Safe programme has been provided for all primary schools. Since the programme was introduced, 99.7% of primary schools have participated in this training. At present, based on a sample survey, approximately 80%-85% of primary schools are teaching the programme to their students but it should be recognised that the Stay Safe programme is not mandatory and schools can decide whether or not to introduce the programme.

Although 15% of primary schools do not offer the Stay Safe programme, it should be noted that the central elements of the programme — primarily personal safety strategies — and, more importantly, the overall issue of child protection are now taught as integral parts of the subject of social, personal and health education, SPHE, which is part of the curriculum taught in every primary school. Specifically, the strand unit entitled "Safety and Protection" provides material for teachers to explore with children appropriate strategies in personal safety, which incorporate elements of the Stay Safe programme. In addition, the implementation of my Department's child protection guidelines for all primary schools has given an additional impetus to the Stay Safe programme as well as the overall issue of child protection.

My Department does not have plans to introduce the Stay Safe programme as a stand-alone subject on the primary curriculum, nor is it a part of the programme of work of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA. However, social, personal and health education, SPHE, which includes the teaching of strategies for personal safety to primary pupils is already a mandatory part of the primary school curriculum.

In light of the current high level of take-up of Stay Safe, combined with the implementation of my Department's child protection guidelines, the incorporation of the central elements of the Stay Safe programme and the coverage of the overall issue of child protection within SPHE, which is very positive, I strongly encourage all schools to use the Stay Safe programme.