David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 438: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the fact that a person (details supplied) in County Cork has been expelled from a school; her plans to provide this person with an education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13627/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Section 24 of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 requires a school to notify it's Educational Welfare Officer before expelling any student. The Educational Welfare Officer concerned is then required to make all reasonable efforts to ensure that provision is made for the continued education of the student, including consulting with the school authorities, the student concerned and his or her parents. Section 29 of the Education Act 1998, provides parents with an appeal process where a Board of Management of a school or a person acting on behalf of the Board expels a student. Where a school expels a student, the school is obliged to inform parents of their right under Section 29 of Education Act 1998 to appeal that decision to the Secretary General of my Department. It is only where an appeal under Section 29 is upheld that the Secretary General of my Department may direct a school to re-admit a student. My Department has not received any notification or request for appeal in respect of the student referred to by the Deputy. The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The details provided by the Deputy have been forwarded to the NEWB for appropriate attention. The NEWB can be contacted at National Educational Welfare Board, National Headquarters, 16-22 Green Street, Dublin 7 or by telephone at 01-8738700.