asked the Minister for Education if he will explain the delay in erecting a new school at Killavilla, Roscrea, County Offaly, and if he will state when work is likely to commence.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Offaly New School.
A suitable site has been offered for a new school to replace Killavilla National School, but the nearest suitable supply of drinking water is about one-quarter of a mile distant from the site and the manager has been negotiating with the Offaly County Council with a view to having a public pump provided convenient to the site.
There are also certain other preliminaries which must be arranged before a grant could be sanctioned for the erection of the new school. I am not in a position to say at the present time when these preliminaries will have been completed.
Could the Minister give a guarantee that as far as his Department is concerned no time will be lost in proceeding with this work, in view of its urgency in the locality?
I certainly can give that, as far as the Department of Education is concerned. I think it might be found that, if there were a considerable amount of urgent building work to be done, Killavilla might not have a high rating as compared with other places, as the conditions might not be too bad. Subject alone to that, the Department will expedite this work in every possible way that it can.
Would the Minister consider securing a report from some of his inspectors of the conditions under which children are attending school in Killavilla at the present time?
This matter would have had the attention of the inspectors already and we are aware as to what the conditions are.