asked the Minister for Finance when the toilets, which were approved by his Department for Loughduff school, County Cavan, will be installed.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Cavan School.
18.
I am advised that the existing sanitary facilities at Loughduff National School are in a reasonably satisfactory condition and as the school is to be replaced by a new central school at Mullaghoran, expenditure on the provision of new facilities would not be justified. Working drawings for the new building at Mullaghoran are well advanced and it is hoped to invite tenders within the next three months or so.
Are the windows big enough for Deputy Lenihan to get out through?
Is it not a regulation of the Department that the manager of a school can now provide these facilities without reference to the Department and that the cost will be borne by the Department of Finance then and is it not true that such works do not require your sanction at the present time and that this school at Loughduff could be provided with these facilities requested by Deputy O'Connell by the reverend manager if he decided to carry out the work and that you would be obliged to pay for them?
This is true where the school is expected to have a life of about five years.
(Cavan): Is it not a fact that sanction for the proposed toilets would be necessary in this case and is it not a further fact that by letter dated 30th January, 1971 the Minister's Department stated that sanction had never been given for the installation of these toilets? Is that not correct?
No; I am afraid the Deputy is incorrect. In August, 1969, the Department of Education authorised the reverend manager to provide w.c's at Loughduff school. In October, 1969, the Department of Education advised the Office of Public Works that repairs to the latrines had been carried out and the reverend manager considered that that would be adequate until the new school at Mullaghoran had been erected. On a recent inspection by an Office of Public Works architect it was found that they were in a reasonably satisfactory condition and with the new school coming up and going to tender, we hope, in September——
Would the Parliamentary Secretary tell me when the new school will be built and is he aware of the concern of the parents of the children? They are very dissatisfied. They are not happy about the position. Despite what the Parliamentary Secretary says about their being in a reasonably good condition, the parents are very concerned, and no doubt the Parliamentary Secretary has received a circular about it.
I probably have much better knowledge of the County Cavan than Deputy O'Connell has.
We are not talking in this about the County Cavan. We are talking about the toilets in the school.
I know.
You are not aware of the position.
Deputy Fitzpatrick is aware of it and I am as much aware of it as Deputy Fitzpatrick. I should like to put the House straight on this— I should like to put Deputy Fitzpatrick straight on it too: 28 of the 71 pupils on the roll have not been attending the school since 1st January, 1971.
Why?
In protest at the delay in providing a new school. The pressure to provide flush toilets at Loughduff now may in reality be an attempt to force the retention of the old school and avoid amalgamation with Mullaghoran.
(Cavan): Am I not right——
I am not going to be a party to that.
(Cavan): No. I do not want you to be. Am I not correct in saying that the Department agreed with the reverend manager that these toilets should not be provided and is it not unfair of anybody to blame the reverend manager for not providing these toilets?
I think I explained to the Deputy already in reply to his first supplementary that repairs had been carried out to the latrines.
(Cavan): It is the toilets I am talking about.
They are not flush toilets. Again, in reply to Deputy O'Connell——
(Cavan): A circular has been sent to every Deputy.
——we are inviting tenders in September.
Question No. 19.
(Cavan): There are further questions. Would the Parliamentary Secretary say that——
Question No. 19. There have been four supplementaries.
(Cavan): Would the Parliamentary Secretary agree with me that it was agreed between his Department and the reverend manager that it would be unreasonable to provide these flush toilets and that the reverend manager is not to blame for not providing them? That is what I want to know.
Yes. As I think Deputy Murphy pointed out, where a school is expected to have a life of five years the manager need not seek anybody's sanction. He can put in flush toilets. When the school is being replaced we must weigh one thing up against another. In this case we felt that repairs were sufficient to carry on for the last period.
I asked when the school would be replaced.
We are inviting tenders in September.
When does the Parliamentary Secretary think the school will be built?
September twelve months, I think.