asked the Minister for Education if he will state what progress has been made towards the provision of new schools at (a) Doohoma (roll No. 14193); (b) Trienbeg (roll No. 1671); and if, in view of the urgent necessity for these schools, he will take steps to ensure that the building will be proceeded with without any further delay.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Mayo Schools.
A suitable site has been offered for the proposed new school atDoohoma, but documentary evidence of title to the site will require to be furnished and certain other preliminary arrangements will require to be made before the Department will be in a position to sanction a grant towards the cost of the erection of the school. The procedure in connection with the production of evidence of title has proved to be complicated and protracted and necessitated an application to the courts. It seems, therefore, that it may be some time longer before proof of title is forthcoming. It is expected that the other necessary preliminary arrangements will be completed at an early date.
Regarding the proposed new school to replace the present Trienbeg National School, it will be recalled that in my reply to the Deputy's previous question in this case on the 30th July, 1953, I adverted to the difficulty of obtaining a suitable site and mentioned that the Commissioners of Public Works were being asked, in the circumstances, to resurvey the site originally offered by the manager. This has now been done and the site in question, though far from ideal, is being accepted, as there is no other site obtainable in the district. A grant for the erection of the new school cannot be sanctioned, however, until documentary evidence of title to the site has been obtained and certain other arrangements have been completed.
In view of their urgency both of these cases will continue to receive every possible attention, but I cannot say at present when it will be possible to have them brought to the stage at which work on the erection of the new buildings can be commenced.