David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 238: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on whether the findings and recommendations in the recent report entitled Inequality and the Stereotyping of Young People, (details supplied), that the working of school councils needs to be improved and that young people should be consulted more with regard to the running of the schools they attend; her plans to follow these recommendations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8598/06]

Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The report Inequality and the Stereotyping of Young People, published on 22 February 2006 by the Equality Authority and the National Youth Council of Ireland, is valuable piece of research which I welcome. This report provides a valuable insight into how young people see their relationships with, inter alia, the Garda, teachers, politicians and the media. The research centres on ten focus groups of young people from different parts of the country, including young people with different identities and circumstances and provides an insight into young people's views on how they are perceived by adults.

The report sets out a number of recommendations which it considers would help to address or reduce these inequalities and stereotypical perceptions. These include a suggestion that recommendations for the improved working of school councils emerging out of recent research should be adopted and supported. This is consistent with my and my Department's objectives in this regard.

In 2002 my Department produced and distributed to schools guidelines on the establishment and operation of student councils. Student councils are established in the majority of post-primary schools. I believe strongly that we cannot just teach students about rights and responsibilities in the CSPE class, we also have to give them actual responsibilities in the place where they spend much of their day. I have stressed to teachers' groups the need to not only ensure that each school has a student council but also that councils are given a meaningful role in school decision-making. A working group on student councils in second level schools was established by the National Children's Office in June 2003, in co-operation with my Department, to promote the establishment of democratic student councils in second-level schools.

In order to develop a better understanding of the operation of student councils and discover the needs of students, teachers, principals and schools, the working group contracted the Children's Research Centre at Trinity College to carry out research. The aim of the research study was to describe barriers, enablers and supports to the development and operation of student councils in Ireland as perceived by key stakeholders and to situate this within the international context. The research report was formally launched by my colleague, the Minister of State with responsibility for children, Deputy Brian Lenihan, on 25 April last.

The working group also designed a leaflet and poster aimed at students, promoting the establishment of student councils, which were launched by the Minister of State with responsibility for children and distributed to all second level schools in 2004. A student council website was also launched and information on establishing and running student councils is posted on this site. The website is proving to be a valuable resource to students and teachers around the country.