asked the Minister for Education the purpose of excluding the primary school sector from the proposals envisaged in the recently published document "Partners in Education."
Written Answers. - Primary School Sector.
29.
It is not true to say that the primary sector is excluded from the proposals. There is provision for the representation of primary school interests on the local education councils. The LECs will have a function in regard to co-ordination between primary and post-primary sectors, providing advice in relation to the provision of new primary schools, in the provision of transport to primary schools, and in relation to school attendance.
The most pressing arguments in favour of establishing LECs at present relate to second level, that is to say the need for one regional body to deal with different types of schools all providing essentially the same service and the need for co-ordination between education and training. These problems do not arise at primary level and it is proposed, therefore, to leave consideration of the question of including primary schools to a later date.