Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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71. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to introduce a module on animal welfare and responsible pet ownership to the primary school curriculum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51917/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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At primary school level, social, environmental and scientific education enables the child to learn and practice a wide range of skills; and to acquire open, critical and responsible attitudes, including caring for animals.

Engagement with the Living Things strand unit in the science curriculum gives children the opportunity to study animals and their life processes in the context of their interrelationships with plants and people.  For example, the science curriculum aims to enable children to appreciate that people share the environment with animal life and that living things have essential needs for growth. In addition, children explore how to care for and respect animals and how to take action to protect their environment. Through the science curriculum, children also come to recognise that people, plants and animals depend on each other.

In the course of their work, teachers in different disciplines use various support materials produced by bodies such as the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Compassion in World Farming and other national Animal Welfare Charities who provide either free primary school programmes to schools or facilitate educational visits from schools.  I currently have no plans to introduce a separate module on animal welfare and responsible pet ownership.