Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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480. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the omission of relationship and sexual education within her Department’s Strategy 2021-2023, despite the commitment in relation to same in the Programme for Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24947/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Strategy Statement 2021-2023 sets out the high level goals of my Department and the strategic actions which will be progressed in order to achieve those goals over the period until 2023. The Statement by its nature does not reflect the day-to-day work of my Department, but rather the high-level objectives. The work of my Department in relation to relationship and sexual education is captured within Goal 1; To Support the provision of high-quality education and improve the learning experience to meet the needs of all students, in schools and early years settings. Through this Goal, we commit to developing and improving learning and assessment through the continuation of the programme of curricular reform.

Our commitment in Programme for Government states that we will ‘develop inclusive and age-appropriate RSE and SPHE curricula across primary and post-primary levels, including an inclusive programme on LGBTI+ relationships and making appropriate legislative changes, if necessary.’

We continue to progress work in this area, including:

- Development of an online toolkits and support materials for teachers at primary and post primary, which were further expanded in 2022 to include teaching about rights and responsibilities in relationships, how to recognise healthy, unhealthy and abusive relationship, how to interact safely and respectfully (both online and face-to-face), the influence of the media (including pornography) on young people's understanding and expectations, sexual consent and assertive communication. The toolkit also provides practical help designed to deepen teachers' understanding and skills so that they feel more confident in addressing important and sensitive topics.

- Preparation to update the Senior Cycle SPHE/RSE specification

- A draft revised Junior Cycle specification is due to be agreed at NCCA Council in early Summer, with a public consultation to follow. The final revised specification is due to be completed by the end of 2022.

- Progress in the review of the Primary curriculum for RSE/SPHE. A development group will work on the development of a specification for the curricular area and corresponding subjects. This advice will be developed through research, deliberation, consultation, and engagement with networks.

My Department is committed to ensuring that relationship and sexual education is delivered to children and young people across the continuum of the schools system, in an age appropriate manner and we continue to review and expand our work in this area.