Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 74: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has an inventory of chemicals, both in standard use and in long-term storage, in secondary schools here; his views on the fact that many schools may contain long-term stocks of chemicals such as Brady's reagent, dinitrophenylhydrazine, and picric acid which can deteriorate and become explosive with age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26777/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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My Department does not hold an inventory of the chemicals held in stock by individual schools, and the management of such stock is a matter for the school authorities.

A once off disposal of chemicals was funded by the Department in 2000/01 on the basis that schools would assume responsibility on an ongoing basis thereafter for the safe stock and disposal of chemicals. My Department has published Safety in School Science and Safety in the School Laboratory –Disposal of Chemicals as guidelines for schools on the treatment of substances used in the curriculum. National programmes of professional development for teachers on this issue are provided by the Professional Development Support Service for Teachers together with Material Safety Data Sheets on the treatment of chemicals used for the curriculum.

The Material Safety Data Sheets cover the chemicals required in schools. The substances to which the Deputy refers are not required for the curriculum in schools. However, the Department is currently finalising a tender for the disposal of a range of substances, identified in Circular 0014/2011, which have recently been discontinued in schools. The Department is prepared to add the disposal of the substances mentioned above to this tender, should schools still hold stocks of the substances concerned. Schools will be contacted about the detail of the arrangements when the tender process has been completed and the contractors selected.