Questions

604. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the total number of suspensions imposed; the total number of suspension days issued; the average duration of suspensions in days; the suspension rate per 100 enrolled students and the number of suspensions falling into each duration band of one day, two–three days, four–five days, six–ten days, and over ten days for each of the past five academic year…

343. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has considered establishing a national reporting framework requiring schools to submit anonymised data on serious disciplinary incidents involving weapons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13620/26]

344. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has issued specific national disciplinary guidance addressing incidents involving weapons on school premises, distinct from general critical incident guidance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13621/26]

345. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth how her Department satisfies itself that current governance arrangements adequately monitor trends in serious safety incidents, including weapon-related incidents, in the absence of centralised data collection; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13622/26]

630. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide a breakdown, by year and school level, of the number of reported incidents involving students bringing weapons onto school premises over the past five years; the number of suspensions and expulsions arising from such incidents; the guidance issued by her Department to schools in relation to disciplinary responses where weapons are involved;…

451. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth her Department’s procedures for ensuring that all primary and post-primary schools provide a clear opt-out process for parents who do not consent to elements of the Bí Cineálta policy or associated materials; and the direction issued to schools on the administrative arrangements for accommodating such pupils. [66186/25]

452. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the statutory basis on which her Department requires schools to implement the Bí Cineálta anti-bullying policy on a whole-school basis; and her Department’s assessment of whether such implementation is compatible with parental rights under the Education Act and the Constitution. [66187/25]

453. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures by which her Department has assessed the Bí Cineálta policy against recent safeguarding evidence reviews, including the Cass Review and the HSS report; and the steps being taken to ensure full compliance with national child-protection obligations in all schools. [66188/25]

454. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the specific guidance issued by her Department to schools regarding the treatment of pupils whose parents do not consent to elements of anti-bullying policies or SPHE-related content; and her Department’s instructions on ensuring equal access to the curriculum for such pupils. [66189/25]

455. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to list all external organisations whose materials or programmes are included in, endorsed by, or linked to the Bí Cineálta policy; the vetting process undertaken by the Department before including such organisations; and the criteria used to evaluate the safeguarding suitability of associated materials. [66190/25]

456. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the training provided by her Department and Oide to school leaders and staff on the implementation of the Bí Cineálta policy; the extent to which this training addresses safeguarding concerns raised in recent evidence reviews; and the means by which schools are instructed to handle parental opt-out requests. [66191/25]

457. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth her Department’s monitoring arrangements for ensuring compliance with statutory safeguarding obligations during the implementation of the Bí Cineálta policy; and the number of compliance checks undertaken in 2024 and 2025. [66192/25]

458. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the arrangements schools are required to put in place during Anti-Bullying Week for pupils whose parents do not consent to participation in activities or materials associated with the Bí Cineálta policy; and her Department’s guidance on how schools should plan and record such arrangements. [66193/25]

459. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether an equality-impact assessment has been carried out on her Department’s implementation of the Bí Cineálta policy; and whether safeguards are in place to ensure that children whose parents do not consent to specific elements are not disadvantaged or labelled inappropriately. [66194/25]

460. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the means by which her Department has ensured that the implementation of the Bí Cineálta policy respects parental rights under Articles 41 and 42 of the Constitution; and whether her Department has issued guidance to schools on avoiding conflicts between parental rights and Department-mandated programmes. [66195/25]

461. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department intends to review the Bí Cineálta policy in light of recent clinical and safeguarding evidence; the timeline for such a review; and whether stakeholder consultations with parents will form part of that process. [66196/25]

462. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to set out the guidance issued to Boards of Management regarding handling parental objections to the Bí Cineálta policy; and her Department’s instructions to boards on decision-making where there is a conflict between Department policy and parental consent. [66197/25]

463. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way her Department has assessed the impact of recent directives, including Bí Cineálta, on the operational autonomy of schools and Boards of Management; and her Department’s position on ensuring that schools retain the ability to address local safeguarding concerns. [66198/25]