asked the Minister for Education what is the cause of the delay in providing a new national school at Trentagh, County Donegal.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Donegal National Schools.
The Reverend Manager has offered a suitable site for the erection of a new school at Trentagh. My Department is in communication with the Reverend Manager in regard to the production of evidence of title to the site which is a necessary preliminary to the sanction of a grant towards the cost of the erection of the new school.
Has the position been reached where a percentage grant has been decided on in this particular case?
That cannot be done until we are clear in regard to the position concerning the site.
In regard to the percentage grant that would be forthcoming, may I further ask the Minister —this is the one thing which I really want to know—if there is any question at the moment of deciding on the percentage, or is there any dispute in regard to the question of deciding the percentage?
If the Deputy wants that information he may put down a question, but I do not know whether I can go into that matter or not. The Deputy may take it, however, that until title to the site has been established we cannot go ahead with such work as is necessary to determine what the cost of the school would ultimately be. Until we get to that stage I do not think we could come to consider what the local contribution should be.
Was there any figure mentioned so far?
Not so far as I know. There may have been all kinds of conversations.
asked the Minister for Education if he will arrange for the speeding up of the commencement of work on the new national school at Milford, County Donegal, as there appears to be undue delay in the matter.
I am informed by the Commissioners of Public Works that the preparation of detailed working drawings and a specification for the proposed new national school at Milford is nearing completion. When these are ready bills of quantities will have to be prepared by a quantity surveyor before tenders for the erection of the school can be invited. These arrangements will be attended to as expeditiously as possible.
Because of the nature of the site the planning of the school presented difficulties. I am not aware that there has been any avoidable delay in dealing with the case.
The Minister will agree that some seven or eight months ago he gave me to understand that work would begin in approximately six months after that. Since that date, somebody purporting to represent the views of the Minister indicated that the work would begin last April.
I would like to recall the Deputy to the fact that on the 18th April last I told him that the preparation of the detailed work and drawings was in hand and would be completed as soon as possible.
Then may I take it that no Deputy in this House was given to understand that work was about to commence in April?
The Deputy, if he will refer to the question to which he got a reply from me on the 18th April, will find that he was told on that date that the work of preparing the drawings was then in hands and would be completed as soon as possible.
I have no argument with the Minister at all.
The Deputy asked me a question then and he is asking me a question now. He is also asking me if any other Deputy asked me a question in the matter and if I gave him an answer. I could not say whether I did or not. I would suggest that if Deputy Blaney wants to ask questions he ought to ask them. He is getting an answer now with regard to the facts but there is no paper in front of me with regard to the Milford school which suggests that there was any answer given to any Deputy at variance with the answer given to Deputy Blaney in April last and that he has apparently forgotten.
I am quite satisfied with that.