asked the Minister for Education whether he is aware of the urgent need for the provision of a suitable school at Shankill, County Dublin, to replace the existing Tillys-town National School, and if he will state what sites have been inspected and on what dates, what sites were found suitable, the main objections to those rejected, what site or sites are at present under consideration, and what is the nature of the legal problems referred to by him on 26th May, 1955, and when they are likely to be resolved.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Shankill School (Dublin).
I am aware of the urgent need for the provision of a new school to replace the present Tillystown National School at Shankill, County Dublin.
Three possible sites for a new school have been inspected. A site offered by the reverend manager in 1949 was inspected in November of that year and was found to be unsuitable, as it was low-lying, its area was too small and it was badly situated.
A second site was inspected in March, 1950. This site was regarded as suitable. As, however, it appeared that the procedure in connection with the production of evidence of title to that site would be most complicated and protracted and that the cost of acquisition might be prohibitive, a third possible site was inspected in May, 1953. Although it was far from ideal the Department was prepared to accept it as a last resort, in view of the history of the case and of the urgent need for a new school. Difficulties, however, arose also in connection with the acquisition of the third site.
As local opinion did not favour the third site the reverend manager, through his solicitors, has reopened negotiations for the acquisition of the second site.
As I mentioned in my reply to the Deputy's previous question on 2nd June, 1955, there are legal problems of a somewhat complicated character to be resolved, but I am glad to say that progress is being made and I am hopeful that the stage will be reached before long at which it will be possible to arrange for the production of satisfactory evidence of title to the site.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary be able to disclose the particular sites that are referred to by date? It is very hard to make a checkup on the different sites referred to. Would it be that the site that is now spoken of as being suitable is the stud farm about which there have been legal difficulties? I understand that a local committee was set up some time ago and that they discovered a site convenient to the present school and that it was quite suitable according to the report of the inspectors. Furthermore, it would seem from the Parliamentary Secretary's reply that it was that site that was referred to because he states that the amount of ground available was not sufficient.
That was in relation to the first site.
If the Parliamentary Secretary is talking about that particular site, I understand that a further amount of land was offered. What I want to get at is that the local opinion is that a suitable site was discovered by the local people themselves, and if the Parliamentary Secretary's advice is that this land was not sufficient, a further amount of land is available at the same site.
The position actually is that the first site which was offered by the reverend manager had not a sufficient area in it to be suitable and satisfactory. That was not the third site. The objection to the third site is one which perhaps it would be as well not to mention. Similarly, I would like to say that I would not like to indicate which of these two sites is which. There is no difficulty as regards acreage about either the second or third site. The difficulty about area was in relation to the site which the manager was so good as to offer near the present school.
Is that the site that the Parliamentary Secretary says there was some difficulty about ultimately?
No, Sir. The site near the present school was held by the Department to be inadequate in size.
That is the very point. My information is that the amount of land offered on that site originally was too small and that the present owner of that land, when approached by the local people, said she was quite willing to give a further amount of land which would make it quite suitable. That is what I want to try and clear.
Might I say that these legal difficulties are, I hope, on the verge of being resolved? The matter is on the verge of being completed in relation to the second site.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary satisfied that there will not be any undue delay?
I am satisfied that, if these legal difficulties which may be resolved this week actually can be now resolved, there will be no undue delay from that on.