asked the Minister for Education whether he will consider recommending to the managers of national schools in urban areas to give the children a luncheon interval of 1½ hours during which they might go to their homes for an adequate midday meal instead of the ½ hour interval at present allowed.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - School Meal Hours.
Under the existing regulations managers of national schools in rural and urban areas may arrange to extend the interval for recreation from half an hour to one hour per day, and, in exceptional cases, an interval in excess of one hour may be approved. I am not convinced that the extended interval in urban schools is generally desired by parents. I am not, therefore, prepared at present to make recommendations, such as the Deputy suggests, to managers, but any applications from managers in urban areas for sanction for an interval in excess of one hour will receive careful consideration.
Arising out of the Minister's reply, if information were placed at his disposal in regard to any particular school that the manager and the vast majority of the parents desired the extension suggested in my question, may one assume that the matter would be favourably considered by the Department of Education?
The Department generally does its business through the managers of the schools.
Perhaps the Minister misunderstood my question. I said that if a group of interested persons brought to the Minister evidence that the manager and the majority of the parents were anxious that this 1½ hours be permitted in any school, might they assume that the proposal would be favourably considered by the Minister?
I have nothing to add to my answer.
But the Minister did not answer me at all.
I said that any application from a manager would be favourably considered.