Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 393: To ask the Minister for Education and Science further to her reply to Parliamentary Question No. 284 of 25 May 2006 the reason no mechanism exists whereby incidents of school bullying are recorded for reference to her Department; if her attention has been drawn to the concerns of parents who are anxious that all incidents be reported, and that modern methods of bullying such as the internet, mobile phones, text messaging, be monitored; if her further attention has been drawn to the need for her Department to familiarise itself with both the extent of the problem and the methods used; the way in which her Department expects to become au fait with the problem; her proposals to address the issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21830/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I can assure the Deputy of my concern that any child would feel upset in school because of bullying — be it physical, verbal or cyber and am anxious that all schools have effective practices in place both to prevent bullying and to deal with cases that may arise.

Each school is required to have in place a policy which includes specific measures to deal with bullying behaviour, within the framework of an overall school Code of Behaviour and Discipline. Such a code, developed through consultation with the whole school community and properly implemented, can be the most influential measure in countering bullying behaviour in schools.

My Department has issued guidelines as an aid to schools in devising measures to prevent and deal with instances of bullying behaviour and to increase awareness among school management authorities of their responsibilities in this regard. These guidelines were drawn up following consultation with representatives of school management, teachers and parents, and are sufficiently flexible to allow each school authority to adapt them to suit the particular needs of their school. My Department, through the National Centre for Technology in Education has also developed Policy Guidelines and Advisory Notes for schools and parents which deal with the issues of internet and mobile phone bullying.

The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) is at present developing further guidelines for schools on Codes of Behaviour, as provided for under section 23 of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000. The process involves the drawing up of a draft framework/discussion document for the guidelines, which is being used as a basis for consultations with the key stakeholders including school management, teachers, parents, and children. The Board has established an expert working group for this purpose. Work on the guidelines is at an advanced stage and is envisaged that implementation will commence in the next school year.

Once the NEWB Guidelines are in place, my Department will commence the process of revising and updating its own "Guidelines on Countering Bullying Behaviour". This review will take into account issues such as legislative developments, the involvement of the support services available to schools, technological advancements such as use of the Internet, e-mail, mobile phones and camera phones and the latest developments in International best practice on dealing with bullying behaviour.

These guidelines, on top of those that are already in place, will provide vital guidance for schools in fulfilling their responsibilities in relation to this issue. The Deputy may also be interested to know that dealing with bullying has also been incorporated in training for principals through the Leadership Development for Schools programme. I have also stressed to the teacher unions the importance of not just having a written policy on bullying but also ensuring a climate in which it is not tolerated in any form and in which children know that if they make a teacher aware of bullying that it will be dealt with.

The Deputy will also be aware that the education of students in both primary and post-primary schools in relation to anti-bullying behaviour is part of the SPHE curriculum. SPHE is now a compulsory subject both at primary level and in the junior cycle of post-primary schools. The SPHE curriculum provides for the development of personal and social skills including self-awareness, respect for others, self-esteem and communication skills, all of which are important elements in addressing the issue of bullying.

So, while responsibility for tackling bullying naturally falls to the level of the individual school, a wide range of measures are already in place to support schools in this area.