• With reference to media reports, the Secretariat for Catholic Education would like to clarify that an email was sent by the Secretariat, to heads of Church schools, on the 27th August 2014, requesting particulars of students who are taking any medication or need any other medical intervention not covered by any current job description. The list is required to assess the possible provision for such cases.

    Such list was to be compiled from two sources – the statementing documents available at the Secretariat in the case of students with a statement of needs, and by contacting schools in the case of students who do not have a statement but nevertheless require such support. The Secretariat felt the need to ask for such details in order to avoid misunderstanding and provide as accurate as possible a picture of the situation.

    The Secretariat for Catholic Education confirms that the Directorates within the Ministry for Education never asked for the identification of students but only required the number of students who might need such services.

    It was therefore the Secretariat’s own initiative to ask for students’ details, including names of students, date of birth, condition, and whether a student is statemented or not. The Secretariat for Catholic Education is revoking such request on the advice given to it by the Data Commission Office.