Government is studying a proposal aimed at barring sex offenders from schools.

The Royal Gazette has learned that formal talks to notify schools when a convicted sex offender, particularly a paedophile, is released and to screen school employees began this week.

And the drafting of Cabinet papers on the issue is expected by the end of the month.

Women's Resource Centre chairman Penny Dill yesterday confirmed that she met with the Education Department's senior manager of human resources, Raymond Latter, and Acting Police Commissioner Jean Jacques Lemay on Wednesday to discuss the proposal.

"We discussed the concerns about screening of applicants for positions within the department and to prohibit the entry into school properties of those who are convicted paedophiles,'' Ms Dill said.

"It was proposed that a joint initiative between the Women's Resource Centre, the Education Ministry, and Public Safety Ministry will work with the Police in the drafting of Cabinet papers to update the laws.'' However, she noted that the talks were only preliminary and that it would be premature to go into detail.

"We're all working together,'' she added. "Hopefully, by the end of the month we will be able to put something to the Ministers.'' Mr. Latter said the parties involved expected to have another meeting before the end of January.

"We have to investigate some possibilities that we discussed,'' he added.

"Obviously we will have to talk to legal people.

"But we are looking for ways of keeping sex offenders and those convicted away from children.'' Asked if the decision for such a proposal was the result of a particular incident, Mr. Latter said: "It's a general concern and something that we have to be more concerned about these days.

"Some of it (the concern) might have come out of the Blow the Whistle on Violence conference (in February, 1995).'' However, he stressed that the issue was not clear cut.

"We have to look at how we can do it within the law,'' Mr. Latter said. "It is a delicate issue because we have to protect some individual rights as well as group rights.

"We're looking at prototypes from other jurisdictions.

"The Acting Commissioner being from Canada has been able to supply us with some information from there. But we have to talk to those in the legal profession here.

"What we really have to decide and clarify is the rationale so we can talk with people and get their clear understanding of what we want to do so we can satisfy the needs of the community and individual rights.'' "It's the very beginning,'' he stressed, "but it promises to be a very interesting exercise with a clear and definite purpose.'' While reluctant to comment in detail, Public Safety Minister Quinton Edness made it clear that he has thrown his support behind the initiative.

"I support it 100 percent,'' he said.

"I'm not in a position to elaborate. But I think we can do something like that here. I support it in principle. However, we will have to work out the details. I've asked for another meeting with the Women's Resource Centre.''