There are reports in the media today about a draft report on sex education issued by the Joint Committee on Education and Skills. The news reports sound positive as it seems the report will recommend dragging sex education in this country out of the dark ages, making it fully inclusive of LGBTQ+ relationships and experiences, and covering issues of sexual health, etc. They also indicate that the report recommends making a change in the legislation to stop religious ethos acting as a barrier to prevent even a very progressive, factual, objective curriculum from being delivered. The House has already passed Second Stage of similar legislation. I refer to the Provision of Objective Sex Education Bill 2018, which the Taoiseach bizarrely described as sinister the last time I asked him about it.

The question is, now that the committee will recommend such legislation, will the Government give a money message to allow that legislation to progress to Committee Stage and enable us to have progressive sex education?

When the report is received, the Minister for Education and Skills will give it full consideration. I am very much in favour of ensuring that we have a modern, appropriate and secular sex education curriculum in schools. I am not convinced that the right approach is to legislate for a particular curriculum. There are many aspects of the curriculum that we do not legislate for. The national curriculum advisory council sets the curriculum and is able to update it dynamically.

I have no problem with the Taoiseach taking it out on Committee Stage.

I would have concerns about Parliament legislating for what children are taught in school.

Let us deal with that on Committee Stage.