Vol. 276 No. 9
asked the Minister for Education the precise date and the hour on which his Department made the arrangements to meet a deputation regarding the CBS school in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, which he mentioned in a reply to a question on 3rd December, 1974.
33.
asked the Minister for Education if he has any further information to add to his reply to Questions Nos. 3 and 4 on Tuesday 3rd December, 1974.
34.
asked the Minister for Education if he will meet a deputation from the parents' council, the management and the lay staff of the CBS, Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary; and, if not, why.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 32, 33, and 34 together.
The relevant decision in the case was made on 26th November, 1974.
A letter was drafted for issue on Friday, 29th November, in reply to a letter of 29th November, from the manager of the school. When, in fact, the letter did not issue until Monday, 2nd December, it was decided to contact the manager by phone during the course of that afternoon and inform him of its contents. It was considered that the manager would be anxious to receive a reply to his letter by Tuesday at the latest and that the possibility of a delay in the delivery of the reply through the post could not be ruled out.
In the letter of 2nd December the manager was informed that the Minister had already arranged that the question of the educational provision for boys in Carrick-on-Suir should be carefully examined in his Department and that a decision had been taken that arrangements should be made for a discussion at an early date between officials of his Department and the authorities of the school in regard to the question of the provision of new premises for the Christian Brothers School.
A meeting with a deputation from the school has been arranged for Wednesday, 11th December.
May we take it from the Minister's reply that in future all letters received in the Department of Education will be dealt with as expeditiously as this and that if there is doubt about the reply reaching the person within a matter of three or four days of his letter, a phone call will be made from the Department? I am asking this because I assume the Minister intends the House to understand from what he has said that no special circumstances arose in this case other than the ones he has outlined.
I judge the circumstances in each case.
May we expect similar expedition in reply to all other letters to the Department?
If I consider it appropriate in the circumstances.
The Minister considered it appropriate in this case?
The Opposition's question the last day was wide of the mark, because the decision was taken before the question involved reached the Department of Education.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I wish to raise the following matter on the Adjournment, the question of the savage increase in the price of butter.
I shall communicate with the Deputy.
