asked the Minister for Education whether he is aware that the parents of children attending Shanaghy National School, Belmullet, withdrew their children from the school in February last; whether he is aware that the school strike still continues, and if he will state whether it is a fact that the children have been withdrawn and are still prevented by their parents from attending school owing to the dilapidated condition of the school and the risk to the lives of the children involved in attending it; whether, in fact, a portion of the school in question has already toppled in, and whether, in view of the fact that the majority of the parents in the district are exceedingly poor, and that most of them are in receipt of home assistance and unemployment assistance, he will undertake that the repairs required to put the school into proper condition will be carried out at the expense of the Department.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Belmullet School Strike
I am aware that the children enrolled in Shanaghy National School did not attend the school for a period recently owing to the defective condition of the premises, but I am advised that the attendance is now normal. My Department has sanctioned a grant towards the cost of reconditioning the building, and tenders for the scheme of reconstruction have been invited by the Commissioners of Public Works. Arrangements have been made by the manager to have the school conducted in temporary premises pending the completion of the necessary works.