The Deputy will probably be aware, in particular within the Dublin Corporation area, that there is a number of vacancies. There have been talks between my Department and Dublin Corporation within different committees. The hope is that, instead of committees within Dublin Corporation dealing with different areas, there will be just one which would allow the Minister to deal only with the committee concerned with that area. If there was only one committee — and the city manager understands that the city council is in agreement with such proposals — the city manager has indicated we could deal with the specific problem in the Dublin city area. I should emphasise that my Department has no interest in hindering such appointments because such officers have played a useful role.
Although, as I indicated to the House, the school attendance committee system is being reviewed, as promised when the Green Paper was published, and as will be dealt with in legislation which has been promised, if Dublin Corporation agrees that five committees should be replaced with one, the Department would be delighted to see that committee and indeed other committees working. School attendance committees have responsibility in the areas covered by Cork, Dublin, Limerick and Waterford corporations and in the Blackrock and Dún Laoghaire urban areas while in county council areas the Garda have responsibility for enforcing the provisions dealing with school attendance. In certain areas the Department is making greater use of the home-school liaison service.
When children fail to turn up at school — in this regard one may consider that the Garda should enforce the provisions and that it pertains to a wider social problem — the Department makes use of this link so that the matter is addressed in an informal way between the school authorities, the teacher and the parents. We all agree that this is one of the most successful services in areas in which there are major social problems which lead to children not turning up at school and parents not pursuing the matter. It would be welcome if Dublin Corporation decides to establish one committee and I have no intention of hindering that process.
Deputy J. Higgins rose.