13 Mr. Foley asked the Minister for Education the plans, if any, she has for in-service courses to prepare teachers for the new leaving certificate syllabus before the end of the current school year. [7987/95]

14 Mr. Morley asked the Minister for Education the plans, if any, she has for in-service courses to prepare teachers for the new leaving certificate syllabus before the end of the current school year. [7985/95]

17 Mr. Cullen asked the Minister for Education the plans, if any, she has for in-service courses to prepare teachers for the new leaving certificate syllabus before the end of the current school year. [7994/95]

19 Mr. Moynihan asked the Minister for Education the plans, if any, she has for in-service courses to prepare teachers for the new leaving certificate syllabus before the end of the current school year. [7986/95]

28 Mr. M. Ahern asked the Minister for Education the plans, if any, she has for in-service courses to prepare teachers for the new leaving certificate syllabus before the end of the current school year. [7996/95]

35 Dr. Moffatt asked the Minister for Education the plans, if any, she has for in-service courses to prepare teachers for the new leaving certificate syllabus before the end of the current school year. [7982/95]

36 Mr. O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education the plans, if any, she has for in-service courses to prepare teachers for the new leaving certificate syllabus before the end of the current school year. [7990/95]

41 Mr. O'Leary asked the Minister for Education the plans, if any, she has for in-service courses to prepare teachers for the new leaving certificate syllabus before the end of the current school year. [7988/95]

44 Mr. Davern asked the Minister for Education the plans, if any, she has for in-service courses to prepare teachers for the new leaving certificate syllabus before the end of the current school year. [7981/95]

48 Mrs. Geoghegan-Quinn asked the Minister for Education the plans, if any, she has for in-service courses to prepare teachers for the new leaving certificate syllabus before the end of the current school year. [7993/95]

50 Mr. E. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Education the plans, if any, she has for in-service courses to prepare teachers for the new leaving certificate syllabus before the end of the current school year. [7992/95]

54 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for Education the plans, if any, she has for in-service courses to prepare teachers for the new leaving certificate syllabus before the end of the current school year. [7995/95]

56 Mr. Kirk asked the Minister for Education the plans, if any, she has for in-service courses to prepare teachers for the new leaving certificate syllabus before the end of the current school year. [7976/95]

63 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Education the plans, if any, she has for in-service courses to prepare teachers for the new leaving certificate syllabus before the end of the current school year. [7979/95]

66 Mr. D. Wallace asked the Minister for Education the plans, if any, she has for in-service course to prepare teachers for the new leaving certificate syllabus before the end of the current school year. [7978/95]

68 Miss de Valera asked the Minister for Education the plans, if any, she has for in-service courses to prepare teachers for the new leaving certificate syllabus before the end of the current school year. [7997/95]

71 Mr. Martin asked the Minister for Education the plans, if any, she has for in-service courses to prepare teachers for the new leaving certificate syllabus before the end of the current school year. [7998/95]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 14, 17, 19, 28, 35, 36, 41, 44, 48, 50, 54, 56, 63, 66, 68 and 71 together.

Essentially, teachers will receive two days in-service in the present school year in whichever subjects of the leaving certificate phase 1 syllabus they are involved. There are six subjects involved in phase 1 — Irish, Accounting, French, German, Spanish and Italian. The in-service will be delivered throughout the country commencing on 15 May. The plans for in-service courses to prepare teachers for the new leaving certificate syllabus (phase 1) were notified to all second level schools on 10 February last. They were also the subject of a question from Deputy Martin answered on 29 March last.

The two-day sessions for the six subjects will be spread out over three sets of dates, namely, 15-16 May, 22-23 May and 29-30 May. The in-service delivery arrangements are being organised in this way so as to minimise disruption to schools at this critical period in the school year, prior to examinations.

All practical aspects of introducing the new leaving certificate phase 1 syllabus, including the provision of the necessary in-career programme, were considered by a special implementation group which I set up for this purpose in 1994. The group included representatives from the partners in education — the Joint Managerial Body, the Irish Vocational Education Association, the Association of Comprehensive and Community Schools, the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland, the Teachers' Union of Ireland and the National Parents Council (Post-primary).

All relevant issues, including the context of the examinations — oral, aural, practical and written — were considered by the group. The report of the group recommended that the in-career programme should take place in the last term of the 1994-95 school year and the first term of the 1995-96 school year.

The arrangements put in place are in accordance with the group's recommendations.

Does the Minister not agree that the month of May, in advance of the junior and leaving certificate examations, is the worst time in the year to have such a comprehensive programme of in-service training for teachers, given the disruption it will obviously cause in the classroom? There will be a loss of teaching hours and this will lead to major headaches for school managers and, in particular, school principals and they have contacted me about it. The fact that in the month of May we are organising a series of in-service courses is a reflection of the lack of an overall strategy in the Department of Education for in-service training generally. Given all the talk we have had in recent weeks about the integrity of the school year, is this not absurd?

Where we are involved in changes in the leaving certificate examination I think it is a good practice to take on board those who will be involved in implementing that change. Let me list the people who comprised the group who made the recommendations: all the managerial bodies including the principals, all the teacher unions and the parents. They made the recommendations. The introduction of change will cause some disruption.

May is the exam month.

The group comprising managerial bodies and principals and I listened to the people involved. The plans were published and there were criticisms, mainly from school principals. The issues raised were discussed in detail and agreement to proceed was reached. Agreement was reached in that group and in deference to them I as Minister for Education look forward to the introduction of the changes in the leaving certificate——

What about the students doing the exam?

——which will make it a much more relevant examination to the students we are so concerned about.