Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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326. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will address a matter (details supplied) regarding bullying in primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36855/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Responsibility for tackling bullying in schools falls to the level of the individual school.

New Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools were published in September 2013. These Procedures and the associated Department Circular 0045/2013 apply to all recognised primary and post-primary schools and to centres for education (as defined in the Education Act 1998) which are attended by pupils under the age of 18 years.

School authorities and school personnel are required to adhere to these procedures in dealing with allegations and incidents of bullying.The purpose of these procedures is to give direction and guidance to school authorities and school personnel in preventing and tackling school-based bullying behaviour amongst its pupils and in dealing with any negative impact within school of bullying behaviour that occurs elsewhere.

The new procedures require all schools to formally adopt and implement an anti-bullying policy that fully complies with the requirements of the procedures. The school's anti-bullying policy must then be made available to school personnel, published on the school website (or where none exists, be otherwise readily accessible to parents and pupils on request) and provided to the Parents' Association (where one exists).

The Board of Management (BOM) of each school in developing its anti-bullying policy must formulate the policy in co-operation with both teaching and non-teaching school staff under the leadership of the Principal, and in consultation with parents and pupils.

Where a parent or guardian feels that school staff are deficient in addressing bullying matters they should raise the issue with the school managing authority, its BOM. In the event that the BOM fails to satisfactorily remedy the situation it may be raised with the school patron or trustees to whom the BOM is accountable.