andMr. Wilson asked the Minister for Education his Department's policy on the transportation of children to Rannafast and Annagry schools, County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
13.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - School Transport Service.
12.
asked the Minister for Education if he will restore the Mullaghduff/Annagry school bus service in County Donegal.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 13 together.
Policy in this matter has been indicated in a statement which was issued on 12th February 1976 in the following terms:
Because of the diffculties experienced in the operation of school transport services in the Annagry parish, the Minister for Education. Mr. Richard Burke, TD, has decided to withdraw all school transport services in the parish with effect on and from Monday, 16th February, 1976. These services will not be restored unless and until some accommodation has been arrived at locally, sufficient to ensure to the satisfaction of the Minister and no further disruption of services will occur.
Is the Minister aware of the protracted negotiations that have taken place at local level and can he explain why, in spite of all appeals, he has refused to send a representative down to discuss with the aggrieved parties this problem which is becoming aggravated by its continuation and which is engendering a good deal of acrimony which can only result in making the position more and more difficult as time goes on? Is he aware the Minister himself is not free of blame? He has promised transport and withdrawn it, at times curtailed it and at other times taken action in one case and no action in another case, and all this has exacerbated a serious situation and the school is now closed because of a strike.
It is not true that departmental officials have not tried to solve this. They have tried very hard both by visiting the area and receiving deputations. With regard to the point about my personally exacerbating the situation, I would have thought the suggestions made in 1973 should have solved the problem and I regret very much the fact that they did not do so.
Would the Minister agree that a Government Department finding a difficult problem and running away from it is a very weak-kneed approach to the whole business, and would he not consider, seeing that Rann na Feirsde has a particularly strong claim on the type of philosophy which he enunciated in regard to another area of the country, he should take steps at once to provide the pupils with school transport?
I am at a loss to understand what point is being made by the Deputy.
I am talking about a place from which there came numerous authors whose cultural output was very high.
I see that point.
Could we have a specific supplementary question?
I have come to the judgment that, having tried and tried very hard and my officials having tried, the only way this problem can be solved is at local level, and I have so stated in the Press announcement I made and which I have given in reply to the Deputies.
Would the Minister agree that, whatever the merits or demerits of the problem, the children in the Mullaghduff catchment area are not involved and would he state why he has removed the transport from the children of that area?
It is a bit of a simplification to suggest that the children from the Mullaghduff area are not involved. The people who are involved here are the people who are going to Rann na Feirsde school and the people who are going to Annagry school. Anybody going to either school is affected by the situation.
In view of the Minister's obvious knowledge of the seriousness of the problem for the two schools affected, the end of which nobody can forecast, will he now agree to send down a senior official from the Department to meet both parties? This is what they want.
I would gladly accede to the Deputy's request if I thought that action would do any good, but having tried it before without result, I am hesitant to ask my officials just to go down there without any obvious outcome. If I got any indication from the two boards of management or from any reputable sector of that population that a local solution had been worked out to the satisfaction of both schools, then I would be delighted to send a representative to hear the outcome of the discussions.
Is the Minister prepared to allow both sides to continue engendering the bitterness that is creeping into this feud between Annagry and Rannafast without taking some action? Surely he realises it is going to become worse rather than nearer a solution unless some arbitrator is appointed to seek a solution——
We must proceed to deal with further questions.
——whereby both sides will agree. I have kept out of this.
We must have finality on this question.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I wish to raise it on the Adjournment.
I will communicate with the Deputy.