Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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337. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the list of stakeholders consulted on the draft School Sector Climate Action Mandate; the criteria for the selection of the stakeholders; if environmental NGOs were among the stakeholders consulted; if the draft School Sector Climate Action Mandate has been published on her Department’s website; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9560/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Government’s Climate Action Plan 2021, the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate published in 2022 is driving the public sector climate action agenda and confirms the provision of a dedicated School Sector Climate Action Mandate that can best reflect the particular circumstances of schools.

The dedicated School Sector Climate Action Mandate is structured in line with Public Sector Climate Action Mandate while also recognising the variance between large public bodies and the school sector and the distinctive role schools are playing in the areas of Education for Sustainable Development and Climate Change.

This approach in relation to the school sector enables the development of a single standardised climate action mandate for all schools. This aggregated approach for the schools sector will help to minimise the administrative burden for individual schools while at the same time provide flexibility within it to cater for the specific circumstances of each school.

The Department's consultation process for the School Sector Climate Action Mandate focused on stakeholders across the schools sector only and was primarily focused on the most appropriate amendments to the already published Public Sector Climate Action Mandate to reflect the specific circumstances of the schools sector. The school sector stakeholders consulted involved representatives of Patrons, Boards of Management, School Principals, Teachers and Students.

The consultation process was completed at the end of 2022 and the mandate has now been finalised and is due to be published shortly on the Department's website. The mandate includes a requirement that it will be updated annually.