Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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80. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the policy programmes in his Department that cover the early years and preschool sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53631/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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In developing policies, my Department looks at the continuum of education from a child's earliest years through to pre-school, the formal education system and further/higher education/self directed learning as part of a life-long learning agenda.

Policies relating to early years and pre-school are interwoven into policies and not developed in isolation. This can be seen in the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy, the Inter-Cultural Education Strategy and the Traveller Education Strategy.

My Department is currently developing a National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development which includes the early years sector as a matter of course.