I propose to take Question Nos. 8, 43, 55, 70, 160 and 161 together.
I share the concern expressed by Deputies about the incidence of bullying and indeed the harm that it can do to pupils and to schools. In a circular from my Department, schools were reminded that the managerial authority of each school is responsible for ensuring that a fair and effective code of behaviour encompassing rules, sanctions and procedures is drawn up and applied in the school. I would encourage parents and pupils to make the existence of bullying behaviour known to school managements so that incidents can be investigated and the recovery steps taken to deal with the problem and, if necessary to apply sanctions to the culprits. My Department's records indicate that about 25 cases of bullying were reported to the Department in the past year.
I have recently established an expert working party to help draw up strategies to assist schools in combating bullying in primary and post-primary schools. I should explain that the individual members of that working group have been selected for their particular expertise and not as representatives of any particular interest group.
In relation to the question of expelling children from primary school, rule 130 of the Rules for National Schools provides for the possibility of expulsion but stipulates that this should not be done without the prior consent of the school patron and unless alternative arrangements are made for the enrolment of the pupil at another suitable school.
When the draft proposals from the working group become available, by the end of this month, they will be discussed with the relevant interest groups — teachers, management authorities and parents before they are issued to schools in time for the next school year in September.