Committee Reports > List of Committees > Joint > 2004 > Committee on Education and Science > Annual Report of the Joint Committee on Education and Science, 2002-03

TITHE AN OIREACHTAIS

An Comhchoiste um Oideachas agus Eolaíocht

TUARASCÁIL BHLIANTÚIL 2002/3

agus

CLÁR OIBRE 2004

Feabhra 2004

HOUSES OF THE OIREACHTAS

Joint Committee on Education and Science

ANNUAL REPORT 2002/3

and

WORK PROGRAMME 2004

February 2004

TITHE AN OIREACHTAIS

An Chomhchoiste um Oideachas agus Eolaíocht

TUARASCÁIL BHLIANTÚIL 2002/3

agus

CLÁR OIBRE 2004

Feabhra 2004

HOUSES OF THE OIREACHTAS

Joint Committee on Education and Science

ANNUAL REPORT 2002/3

and

WORK PROGRAMME 2004

February 2004

JOINT COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND SCIENCE ANNUAL REPORT 2002/03 AND WORK PROGRAMME 2004

Table of Contents

1. Content and Format of Report

This annual report covers the period from 17 October 2002, the date of the establishment of the Joint Committee, to 31 December 2003. It has been prepared pursuant to Standing Order 84 (3), (4), (5) and (6) (Dáil Éireann) and Standing Order 69 (3), (4), (5) and (6) (Seanad Éireann) which provide for the Joint Committee to-

•undertake a review of its procedure and its role generally

•prepare an annual work programme

•lay minutes of its proceedings before both Houses

•make an annual report to both Houses.

At its meeting on the 26^th February 2004 the Joint Committee agreed that all these items should be included in this annual report.

2. Functions and Powers

The Dáil Select Committee was established by Order of Dáil Éireann of 16 October 2002 to consider Bills and Estimates for Public Services in respect of the Department of Education and Science and such proposals contained in any motion concerning the approval by the Dáil of international agreements involving a charge on public funds.

The Dáil Select Committee under the same Order was enjoined with a Select Committee of Seanad Éireann, established by Order of Seanad Éireann of 17 October 2002, to form the Joint Committee on Education and Science. The principal functions of the Joint Committee are to consider —

•public affairs administered by the Department of Education and Science, including, in respect of Government policy, bodies under the aegis of that Department,

•matters of policy for which the Minister for Education and Science is officially responsible,

•related policy issues concerning bodies which are partly or wholly funded by the State or which are established or appointed by Members of the Government or by the Oireachtas,

•statutory instruments made by the Minister for Finance,

•such proposals for EU legislation and related policy issues as may be referred to it,

•strategy statements laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas by the Minister for Education and Science

•annual reports and accounts, overall operational results, statements of strategy and corporate plans of bodies under the aegis of the Department of Education and Science or bodies which are partly or wholly funded by the State or which are established or appointed by Members of the Government or by the Oireachtas.

The Orders of Reference of the Dáil Select Committee and the Joint Committee are set out at Appendix 1.

3. Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Convenors and Membership

Deputy Tony Killeen was elected as Chairman of the Joint Committee and Deputy Jan O’Sullivan was elected as Vice-Chairman of the Joint Committee on the 14^th November 2002. The Chairman of the Joint Committee is also Chairman of the Dáil Select Committee.

Deputies Barry Andrews and David Stanton are the Convenors of the Committee whose function it is to ensure the availability and attendance of Members or their substitutes for meetings of the Committee and, in particular, to ensure Members’ availability for divisions.

The Members of the Joint Committee are set out at Appendix 2

4. Meetings, Attendance and Recording

Meetings of the Joint Committee and Select Committee took place in the Committee rooms in Leinster House 2000. Meetings were in public unless otherwise ordered by the Committee.

Televised coverage of public meetings of the Committee were broadcast live within the Leinster House complex and was available for subsequent public broadcasting by RTÉ and TV3.

An Official Report (Parliamentary Debates) of the public meetings of the Committees is published and may be purchased from the Government Publications Sales Office, Sun Alliance House, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2. The Official Reports may also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas website at www.irlgov.ie/oireachtas.

Copies of other reports published by the Joint Committee may be obtained from the Clerk, Joint Committee on Education and Science, Kildare House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. A list of these reports is set out at paragraph 8.

5. Number and Duration of Meetings

The Joint Committee met on 35 occasions in the period under report. The number of hours discussion involved in these meetings was in excess of 66 hours. The date and subject matter of each meeting is set out in paragraph 6 below and at Appendix 3.

The Dáil Select Committee met on 3 occasions in the period under report and the number of hours discussion involved in these meetings was in excess of 5 hours. The date and subject matter of each meeting is set out in paragraph 6 below and at Appendix 4.

Minutes of proceedings of the Joint Committee meetings in public session are attached at Appendix 5.

6. Work of the Committee

6.1 Joint Committee

On the 35 occasions the Joint Committee met, it considered the following matters:

•Election of the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson

•Preparation of Work Programme

•Special Needs Education and the Report of the Task Force on Autism

•Implications of the decline in participation in the study of the physical sciences at second and third level in Ireland

•Department of Education and Science’s Building Programme and investment in educational infrastructure through the schools modernisation fund

•Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 (Section 17) Regulations 2002, Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 (Section 33) Regulations 2002 and Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2002

•Access to Third Level Education

•Provisions of the Youth Work Act, 2001

•Music education in Ireland, with particular reference to music education in Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) and Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and the new school building for CIT

•Funding of Third Level Education

•Presentation by representatives of Co-operation Ireland

•Ongoing progress in curriculum development, including transition year

•Report of the Task Force on Autism commissioned by the Department of Education & Science.

•Consideration of the Strategy Statement of the Department of Education and Science

•Presentation by representatives of Educate Together

•Literacy, with particular reference to OECD/UNESCO report “Literacy Skills for the World of Tomorrow”

•Adult Education

•Information and Communication Technology(ICT) in schools

•S.I. No 372 of 2003 transposing EU Directive 99/42/EC European Communities (Recognition of Qualifications and Experience) Regulations 2003 and developments in the area of recognition and award of qualifications and related issues.

•Issues arising from the resignation of Justice Laffoy, and the ongoing work of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse.

•Measures to prevent and counter bullying in schools and discussion of suicide in an educational context with special reference to the recent programme run at the Kilkenny Education Centre concerning suicide awareness in schools

•Presentation by representatives of Gaelscoileanna

•Education for young offenders and extremely disruptive children

•Presentation by representatives of NEPS (National Educational Psychological Services) to discuss progress in respect of the establishment of NEPS countrywide

Scrutiny of Proposals for EU Legislation

•Educational aspects of COM (2003) 27 Final - Green Paper Entrepreneurship in Europe.

Matters referred by order of both Houses of the Oireachtas

•State Examinations Commission (Establishment) Order 2003

•Consideration of the National Council for Special Education (Establishment Order) 2003

•Consideration of the Employment Equality Act 1998 (section 12) (Church of Ireland College of Education) Order 2003

Joint meetings with other Joint committees.

•Joint Meeting with Joint Committee on Arts, Sport Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to consider presentation by representatives from Music Network

•Joint meeting with Joint Committee on Health and Children to consider Special Needs Education and the Report of the Task Force on Autism

Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill 2003

A major item of work undertaken by the committee, in preparation for the referral of the Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill to the Select committee, was to seek and consider submissions from interested groups and individuals in relation to the Bill. Over fifty submissions were received and published by the committee in a report. In addition, the committee heard oral presentations, made by forty groups, over three days in September and October 2003.

A full list of the groups who made presentations and of the submissions received is available in the report detailed in Section 8 of this report.

A copy of the Joint Committee’s work programme for 2004 is at Appendix 6 .

6.2 Dáil Select Committee

On the 3 occasions the Dáil Select Committee met, it considered the following matters:

•Supplementary Estimates for the Department of Education and Science Group of Votes 2002

•International agreement entitled “Agreement on Education Co-Operation between the Government of Ireland and the Government of the People’s Republic of China” signed by both Governments on 19^th February 2001 and laid before Dáil Éireann on 18^th September, 2001.

•Revised Estimates for the Department of Education and Science Group of Votes 2003

•Supplementary Estimate for the Department of Education and Science Vote 2003

7. Groups and Individuals attending before Committee

In the year under report, the Joint Committee met the following organisations, groups and individuals:

•Minister for Education and Science Mr. Noel Dempsey, TD

•Minister of State Ms. Síle deValera, TD (with special responsibility for adult education, youth affairs and educational disadvantage)

•Minister of State Mr. Brian Lenihan, TD (with special responsibility for children)

•Officials of the Department of Education and Science

•Officials of the Department of Health and Children

•Music Network

•National Educational Psychological Service (N.E.P.S.)

•Institute of Engineers in Ireland (IEI)

•Higher Education Authority (HEA)

•Union of Students in Ireland (USI)

•National Youth Work Advisory Committee

•Irish Vocational Education Association

•National Youth Council of Ireland

•Dublin Institute of Technology

•Cork Institute of Technology

•Co-operation Ireland

•National Council for Curriculum and Assessment

•Curriculum Development Unit

•Curriculum Development Centre, Shannon.

•Educate Together

•National Centre for Technology in Education

•National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI)

•Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC)

•Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC)

•Dr. Mona O’Moore, Trinity College, Dublin

•Mr Sean Mc Carthy, Regional Suicide Resource Officer, South Eastern Health Board

•Gaelscoileanna

•St Vincents Parents Support Group

•COPE Foundation, Cork

•Down Syndrome Ireland

•NAMHI

•Rehab

•ACCS, IVEA and JMB

•National Federation of Voluntary Bodies

•Irish Primary Principals Network

•National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals

•Catholic Primary Schools Managers Association

•National Parents Council Primary

•The Psychological Society of Ireland

•Dyslexia Association of Ireland

•National Parents and Siblings Alliance

•Aspergers Syndrome Association (Aspire)

•Hope Project

•Irish Autism Alliance

•Irish Society for Autism

•Irish Progressive Association for Autism

•Association for Higher Education Access and Disability

•H.A.D.D. Family Support group

•ASTI

•INTO

•TUI

•Irish Wheelchair Association

•Disability Federation of Ireland

•National Disability Authority

•Dyspraxia (DCI) Association

•The Advisory Committee on the Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

•Irish Deaf Society

•Irish Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus

•National Council for the Blind

•People with Disabilities Ireland

•IPPA - the early Childhood Organisation

•The Children’s Rights Alliance

•All Children Together

•Forum of People with Disabilities

8. Reports

8.1 Joint Committee Reports

During the period under report, the Joint Committee published the following reports:

•Work Programme 2002/2003

•COM (2003) 27 Final — Green Paper Entrepreneurship in Europe

•Submissions received by the Joint Committee on Education and Science concerning the Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill 2003.

9. Travel

The Joint Committee undertook the following travel in accordance with its Orders of Reference in connection with its work programme.

(a).Purpose of travel: Fact-finding in the following areas:

•An overview of the structure of the Finish education system at first, second and third level.

•Education for people with special needs

•Teacher training

•Equality/Access/Participation across socio-economic groups in 3rd Level Education

•Methods/programmes related to the teaching of the native language and other European languages.

Date and Destination: 8^th — 12^th June 2003, Helsinki, Finland.

Members travelling: Deputy Barry Andrews, T.D., Deputy Thomas McEllistrim, T.D, Deputy David Stanton, T.D and Senator Liam Fitzgerald.

(b)Purpose of travel: To attend, as a representative of the Oireachtas, a meeting to establish the IPU Network of Parliamentary Focal Points for questions relating to UNESCO.

Date and Destination: 6 October 2003, Paris

Members travelling: Deputy Tony Killeen (Chairman)

(c)Purpose of travel: Fact finding mission by the Joint Committee on Education and Science in the area of the special needs education, on foot of submissions received regarding the Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill 2003.

Date and Destination: 16 - 19 November 2003, Galicia, Spain

Members travelling: Deputy Jan O’Sullivan (Vice-Chair), Senator John Minihan and Senator Joanna Tuffy

10. Functions and Powers

The Joint Committee is currently satisfied with its present procedures and role.

____________________

Tony Killeen, T.D.

Chairman

26/02/04