Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

240. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will publish the new circular issued to schools banning the use of resources or materials produced or funded by the alcohol industry for education and awareness on alcohol; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63071/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As I have previously stated, it is not appropriate that resources or materials produced or funded by the alcohol industry, for education and awareness on alcohol, are in use in our schools.

This is reflected in Departmental Circular 13/2016, Promotion of Healthy Lifestyles in Primary Schools, which states that schools should avoid using resources developed by the alcohol industry. This position has also been confirmed to principals of post-primary schools, in a communication issued by the Department on Friday. This letter was published on the Gov.ie website on the same day and is available at www.gov.ie/en/publication/6ace6-letter-to-principals-alcohol-resources/

The letter has also reminded principals of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment's (NCCA’s) SPHE Guidelines for Teachers, which encourages teachers to question the origin and funding of such resources as well as the evidence base used in their production. If, for example, resources are funded by parties with potential conflicts of interests, such as alcohol resources produced by Drinkaware, which is funded by the alcohol industry, then in line with the clear advice of the HSE they should not be used in schools. These guidelines are available on the NCCA’s online toolkit.

The communication issued to school principals last Friday also outlines the evidence-based resources on alcohol and drugs for schools developed by the HSE with the support of the Department of Education and the NCCA. The 'Know the Score' programme is a substance misuse programme published in 2019 for Transition Year or 5th year pupils. Know the Score can be found on HSE.ie, and training is available for teachers.

In addition to this, ‘Making Healthy Choices’ resources for Junior Cycle SPHE are being developed. Unit 1 is currently available on the NCCA’s online toolkit for SPHE to support teachers in addressing issues of alcohol, tobacco and drug use. Units 2 and 3 of this programme are due to be published in 2023.