asked the Minister for Education the assistance she is prepared to give to primary schools (details supplied) in Dublin's inner city which are at present suffering serious financial difficulties with many closures threatened.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Inner City Schools.
15.
The financial provision for primary schools in Dublin's inner city is a matter which I am keeping under continuous review in the context of the resources available to me for the over-all funding of primary education. Individual cases of serious difficulty will be dealt with as sympathetically as possible.
I took the trouble to submit specific details to the Minister when I put down this question and the same details were made available to the Minister by boards of management and others prior to that. In relation to those details 15 schools were listed which together will have an accumulative deficit this year of approximately £90,000 and the boards of management of some of them have indicated that this will inevitably bring about their closure. That information was made available to the Department last November. Is the Minister now near a decision on those instances in relation to the deficits or is she going to wait for the schools to close before she makes a decision?
I am very well aware of the special needs of inner city schools and I am examining the situation to see what can be done for them. I intend also to meet with people involved with inner city schools at an early date.
Can the Minister put a time limit on the decision making this regard given that special details have been made available to her Department several months ago and the situation is now critical in a number of schools? Can she give me a time as to when a decision will be made in regard to the instances which I have outlined to her?
I would not like to pre-empt the discussions I will be having with the people concerned with inner city schools, but I assure the Deputy that it is a matter of great concern which will be dealt with as quickly as possible.
One final question. Could the Minister indicate with whom she is having discussions and when those discussions will take place?
I am in the course of arranging the appointments and because of that I would not like to put in a list of the people.