Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 197: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 197 and 198 of 24 March 2010, the way the supports provided to primary schools to date by the Walk Tall Support Service, which she is in the process of abolishing, can be integrated into the Social Personal and Health Education support in view of the fact the 50% cut to SPHE support staff made in June 2009 and that all SPHE support staff at primary level have been given official notice that their posts are going. [14415/10]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 198: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Science if she will reverse the decision to abolish the Walk Tall Support Programme at primary level in view of the fact that under the newly reconfigured education support service there is no drugs focus as all support will be generic. [14416/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 197 and 198 together.

As the Deputy is aware, my Department is reconfiguring the delivery of support for teachers in light of the reduced resources available. Although the Walk Tall Support Service will no longer exist in its current guise, it is my intention that the support for substance misuse prevention be further integrated into SPHE support. It is widely acknowledged that while a strand of SPHE can be taught in isolation, it should be linked to each of the other strands of the SPHE curriculum in order to be at its most effective.

The Teacher Education Section of my Department is currently conducting an interview process to identify those personnel who will work in the newly formed Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) that will provide support on a regional basis from September next.

These personnel will form multi-disciplinary teams who will work in close co-operation with the Education Centre Network to respond to needs identified by schools in the region including support for the Walk Tall Programme where possible.