asked the Minister for Education if he will arrange for the appointment of a night watch-man or security officer at St. Joseph's and St. Kevin's national schools, Finglas, Dublin.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Schools Security.
35.
Mr. R. Burke
The question of the appropriate security arrangements to be made for a national school is a matter for the manager of the school.
Will the Minister indicate his preparaedness to offer financial assistance to the manager in respect of the service I have indicated in the question?
Mr. R. Burke
I regret I am unable to give the Deputy any indication of my willingness to provide moneys for security men or night watchmen. Security matters are questions for the Garda Síochána and I have no reason to doubt that they are not carrying out their duties efficiently in the area.
I would ask the Minister not to impute charges of efficiency or otherwise by me in regard to the questions I put to him. I am concerned about the incidence of vandalism in these schools. Would the Minister not accept that it would be cheaper on the community to appoint a caretaker rather than having to pay the bills that are being incurred every week?
Mr. R. Burke
The question of the upkeep and maintenance of national schools is being examined by a special committee. It is expected their report will deal with security matters but at this stage I am not able to say what the report will indicate.