Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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379. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills following the draft governance review of the National Parents Council Post-Primary and her decision to remove funding, what is her proposed approach for the short-, medium- and long-term to address the needs for representation of post-primary parents. [14713/23]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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380. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the attempts she has made to resolve her concerns regarding the National Parents Council Post Primary; if she or her Department have made any attempts at facilitation, including amongst the four constitute bodies; and if she has had any engagements with any of the said constitute bodies. [14714/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 379 and 380 together.

The Department has an obligation to ensure that all Exchequer funds are accounted for and properly managed and that there is transparency and accountability in the management of public money. The Department contracted a company with governance expertise to conduct a review of the governance and financial arrangements applying in the National Parents’ Council post-primary (NPCpp). The NPCpp’s Board consistently declined to engage with this review process. The final report, which was undertaken without the co-operation of the NPCpp, has now been published and is available at gov.ie - Governance and Financial Review - National Parents Council - Post Primary (NPCpp) (www.gov.ie).

It is an extremely serious matter that a body in receipt of grant payments from Exchequer Funds would refuse to engage in such a review. The Department formed the view that to make any further grant payments to the NPCpp would be a breach of its financial oversight obligations and in these circumstances the Department also advised the NPCpp that it is no longer a body recognised as a ‘national association of parents’ under the Education Act 1998 Act. Individual parent councils or associations in schools are not impacted by this decision.

The voice of parents is of critical importance to the Department of Education and in order to ensure continuity of support for parents the Department of Education has formally requested the National Parents’ Council primary to extend its remit and support to post-primary parents with immediate effect. The Department urges everyone with an interest in the voice of parents at post primary, including constituent bodies or former constituent bodies of the NPCpp to engage with the National Parents Council primary to support the voice of post primary parents.