Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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144. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of the problems being experienced in west Wicklow relating to the lack of provision for 12 to 16 year olds who have been expelled from school, including no visits from an educational officer or social worker in over a year, no intra-agency collaboration across administrative boundaries; and her plans to improve this situation. [36694/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Educational Welfare Service (EWS) of Túsla, the Child and Family Agency, is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The EWS may be able to offer assistance and advice on securing a school placement within the pupil's area. The contact details for the EWS are Educational Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency, Floors 2-5 Brunel Building, Heuston South quarter, Dublin 8 phone 01 7718500.

As the Deputy may be aware, responsibility for school attendance and educational welfare falls within the remit of my colleague the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. My Department is not aware of the issues referred to by the Deputy.

In respect of the issue of expulsion from school, Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 provides for an appeal by a parent or guardian to the Secretary General of my Department, or in the case of an Education and Training Board (ETB) school to the ETB in the first instance, where a Board of Management of a school, or a person acting on behalf of the Board, refuses to enrol a student in a school, expels a student or suspends a student for 20 or more days in any school year.

My Department has no authority to compel a school to admit a pupil, except in the case of an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 being upheld.