asked the Minister for Education if he can state (a) whether a site considered suitable by his Department has been obtained for the erection of a vocational school at Tubbercurry, County Sligo; (b) whether plans for the erection of the building have been submitted to him by the County Sligo Vocational Education Committee; and (c) the reason for the delay in providing a vocational school in the district.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Tubbercurry Vocational School.
The answers to (a) and (b) of the Deputy's question are in the affirmative. With regard to (c), the delay is due in the first place to the difficulty of obtaining a suitable site. The vocational education committee selected a site about six years ago on the old workhouse grounds, but this site was subsequently abandoned although approved by the Department. Protracted negotiations followed between the committee and the Department regarding the approval of alternative sites which the Department considered unsuitable. A suitable site was not finally approved until February, 1937. The delay since that date is due to arrangements in connection with the provision of funds, but the Department hopes to be in a position to communicate its decision on this matter to the committee at an early date.