James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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237. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress that has been made on the development of a new action plan on bullying; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23664/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, in February of this year I established a Steering Committee to review the 2013 Action Plan on Bullying. This Steering Committee is chaired externally by Dr. Noel Purdy of Stranmillis University College in Antrim.

The Steering Committee consists of senior officials from the Department of Education, including the Inspectorate and the National Educational Psychological Service, representatives of the National Parents’ Council Primary, National Parents’ Council Post-Primary, Irish Second Level Students’ Union (ISSU), the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, the National Anti-bullying Research Centre in DCU and other external experts and representatives of advocacy organisations which include BelongTo, Webwise, Parentline National Traveller Women’s Forum, Women’s Aid and the Independent Living Movement Ireland. The Steering Committee has held five meetings to date.

This review involves significant consultation and collaboration across my Department, with other Government Departments and Bodies including the Ombudsman for Children, and also involves consultation with a broad range of education stakeholders, including parents and students, school management bodies and teacher and school staff unions.

The review will take account of the significant developments and relevant research since the action plan was published in 2013. It will specifically consider cyber bullying, identity based bullying and sexual harassment, among other areas.

The review will give detailed consideration to the recommendations contained in the Oireachtas Joint Committee Report on School Bullying and the Impact on Mental Health which was published last August.

The Anti-bullying procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools will also be reviewed and updated in parallel with this work. A working group has been established to undertake this work. The working group is comprised of representatives from each of the relevant management bodies and teacher and school staff unions, along with representatives from the National Parents’ Council Primary, National Parents’ Council Post-Primary, Irish Second Level Students’ Union (ISSU) and the National Anti-bullying Research Centre in DCU.