Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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112. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress of the implementation task force on guidance counsellors; and the reason no guidance counsellors are members of the task force. [40995/19]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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Following the publication of the Independent INDECON report on its review of Career Guidance tools and information in April, I immediately established an internal taskforce, chaired by my Secretary General and comprising senior officials from units within the Department responsible for elements of career guidance. This includes staff of the Departments Inspectorate who are former Guidance Counsellors.

This task force, as recommended in the INDECON report, was established to examine each of the recommendations contained in the report and to:

- look at the options for the establishment of the support organisation which it is envisaged will, among other things, oversee technology-facilitated guidance services and

- develop a prioritised implementation plan.

The task force have met three times to date and are progressing with the work assigned. They met most recently last week where they considered detailed proposals for the establishment of the support organisation and for the prioritised implementation plan.

Once the task force have completed this phase of the work, they will in due course, engage with relevant stakeholder groups as they work through the implementation of the other recommendations contained in the report.