Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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348. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way her Department and public bodies and agencies under her remit fulfil their obligations under section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34851/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Education is conscious of its key role in promoting, protecting and vindicating the achievement of the key human right to education. The Department’s recently-published Statement of Strategy 2021-2023 articulates a strong focus on equality and human rights which is at the core of the high level goal to ‘ensure equity of opportunity in education and that all students are supported to fulfil their potential’.

The Department has set a number of commitments to prioritise the achievement of this goal that will enable it to meet the obligations it has under the Public Sector Duty to promote equality, prevent discrimination and protect the human rights of those it serves and those of its staff. These commitments include:

- Exploring innovative approaches to ensuring inclusive education for all students

- Tackling educational inequality through the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) programme

- Narrowing the digital divide through increasing access to broadband and digital technology for schools

- Progressing the implementation of a school inclusion model for learners with additional needs

- Ensuring that teachers and school leaders are provided with appropriate continuing professional development supports to assist them in developing relevant pedagogical skills and delivering inclusive teaching and learning in a variety of school contexts

- Continuing to increase the diversity of school type in order to offer parents more choice, including the transfer of schools to alternative patronage such as Community National Schools

- Exploring the scope for a Citizens Assembly on Education as set out in the Programme for Government

- Engaging in a review of the current school transport scheme to provide a better service for all students

The information sought by the Deputy in regard to aegis bodies is not routinely compiled by my Department. My officials will engage with the aegis bodies to ask them to respond directly to the Deputy in regard to the question posed.