andMr. Keaveney asked the Minister for Education whether he has yet decided on a suitable site to locate the Gweedore community school, County Donegal.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Donegal School.
26.
As indicated in reply to Question No. 11 on 2nd March, 1977, planning for a new building was completed on the basis of its erection on the Ard-Scoil Muire site which was considered suitable for the purpose. Local interests have been pressing for a different site and this raises problems which are at present under consideration.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that the Minister, on the last occasion referred to in the reply, indicated that he would have investigated the availability of other sites more suitable than that proposed to be used at present? Can the Parliamentary Secretary tell me whether any investigations of this nature have taken place in that area since to ascertain whether there are more suitable and central sites available?
The Minister has arranged for two senior officials of his Department to visit the area probably in the first week in May to examine all aspects of the problem outstanding.
Are we to take it from the Parliamentary Secretary that the Department have absolutely determined that the building is to go on the Ard-Scoil Mhuire site at Magheraclogher to which 84 per cent of the people of the area have objected and rightly so? Is it a fact that it is intended to push on with it there regardless of its unsuitability?
I am not going to get involved in swapping percentages with the Deputy in regard to local opinion in this or any other matter. I can tell him—as I have already done—that officials of the Department are visiting the area. Quite clearly, if the Department had a closed mind on the matter they would not be sending officials up there.
It is not so much the closed mind that bothers me as what seems to be the difference of mind the Minister expressed the last day on which I talked about this matter and the Parliamentary Secretary has illustrated by the information contained in his brief today. Might I ask the Parliamentary Secretary whether the visitation long awaited and now promised for the first week of May has to do with the consideration in a genuine manner of the re-location of the proposed community school?
This matter is being considered and will be considered further in the light of the findings of these officials when they have visited the area. Beyond that I am not prepared to go at this stage.
Question No. 27, please.
Might I ask the Parliamentary Secretary to stop fiddling around with this matter, to give a direct reply to what has been asked, that is, whether or not the visitation promised for the first week in May has to do with and will take into consideration the unsuitability of the existing site, which is what has held up this school for years? There are ample other suitable central sites available——
We are having repetition.
——at which the Department have never looked. Will they look at them now?
The Department's officials will consider what is the most suitable site and will report back.
Will they look at other sites?
I presume they will.
Question No. 27.
What will their directions be? Will they go up, take a jazz around, come back and say "There is no agreement" and have nothing done for another ten years?
Order, please. Next question, No. 27.