Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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151. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to set down her plans to provide schools with ring-fenced resource hours for the employment of those holding a recognised qualification in guidance counselling to enable all schools to provide every student with appropriate guidance as per Section 9C of the 1998 Education Act; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3355/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I have no plans to re-introduce a separate allocation of resources hours to schools related to guidance counselling. If economic recovery continues I hope the Government will be in a position to improve the standard staffing allocation to schools. However, I believe that it is desirable to give schools discretion on how to use those increased resources.

Guidance and counselling is a whole school responsibility with guidance counsellors playing their part within an overall team approach.

Guidance counsellors have two distinct functions. The first is general career guidance and guidance on the educational opportunities a child or young person might pursue, while the second involves support for students' well-being. The principal and leadership of a school have the best knowledge and experience to determine how exactly guidance resources and teaching resources should be allocated.