Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 17 Jun 1993

Vol. 432 No. 5

Adjournment Debate. - Renmore (Galway) School.

Éamon Ó Cuív

Ba mhaith liom nóim-éad de mo chuid ama a roinnt leis an Teachta McCormack. I dtosach báire ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghlacadh leis an Aire Stáit as ucht teacht agus éisteacht leis an méid atá le rá agam i dtaobh Ghaelscoil Dara.

Bunaíodh Gaelscoil Dara i 1984 agus ó shin i leith tá éirithe thar chinn leis an scoil sin. Tá 240 ghasúr anois ar na rollaí. Go bunúsach, táimíd ag iarraidh ar an Aire féachaint chuige le bun-chóiríocht shásúil a chur ar fáil don scoil seo go luath mar níl aon bhun-chóiríocht ar fáil fós.

Gaelscoil Dara, which was founded in 1984, now has 240 pupils. Since its inception it has not had a permanent building and is in urgent need of same. The school is located in a temporary premises which was at one stage, a sanatorium in a property belonging to the Brothers of Charity which has been available on a yearly lease basis. Even if the lease of that building was available in perpetuum the building itself is unsuitable. I understand that negotiations have been going on for a considerable time. I made numerous representations to the Minister of State's predecessors regarding this issue.

A suggestion has been made that the school be located permanently on the site of Scoil Naomh Bhreandáin which is adjacent to the area. However, parents have made it quite clear that for numerous reasons that proposal is unacceptable to them. First the proposed siting of the school — at a crossroads — is not suitable.

Go deimhin theip faoi dhó ar scoil-eanna sa láthair sin cheanna. Ar an dara dul síos tá an slándáil go dona ann. There is poor security there. An tríú rud ná go bhfuil droch iomhá ag an gceantar agus, cinnte, tá go leor tuismitheoirí tar éis a chur in iúl dá gcuirfí an scoil ansin nach mbeidís sásta a gcuid gasúr a chur ann. Freisin, ar ndóigh, níl an scoil sin i gceantar nádúrtha Ghaelscoil Dara agus, mar sin, ní bheadh sé feiliúnach ar an gcaoi sin ach oiread. Go bunúsach táimid ag caint faoi cheantar tionscalaíochta ansin.

Ar deireadh tá an scoil sin suite gar do thimpeallán, nó roundabout, agus ó thaobh na tráchta de, bhéadh sé an mhí-fheiliúnach.

Dá bhrí sin, ní dóigh liom go mbéadh an moladh sin sasúil. Tuigtear dom go raibh caint ar mholadh eile roimhe seo.

There has been a suggestion to provide alternative permanent accommodation at Scoil Naomh Bhreandáin but this premises is unsuitable. I ask the Minister of State that consideration be given to the provision of suitable accommodation on the site which the school already occupies. This would be a rational solution to this problem and I hope the Department will make a speedy decision in this matter so that this long running saga can be resolved once and for all.

Mr. McCormack

Mar adúirt an Teachta Ó Cuív osclaíodh Gaelscoil Dara i Rinn Mór i 1984 le 17 páistí agus múin-teoir amháin. Anois tá 242 páistí ann agus naoí múinteoirí.

This is a long saga on which I have a file going back approximately four years containing replies from various Ministers including the former Minister, Deputy O'Rourke, the former Minister of State, Frank Fahy, the Minister of State, Deputy Liam Aylward and the present Minister, Deputy Bhreathnach, all indicating that the matter is under consideration. The latest reply received yesterday from the Minister, Deputy Bhreathnach, states:

Thank you for your recent letter regarding the provision of premises at Gaelscoil Dara. I am having the matter looked into by my Department and I will be in touch with you again.

This week the manager of the school, Father Seán Manning, received a letter from the Department of Education indicating, as Deputy Ó Cuív said, that the school is to be transferred to St. Brendan's at Mooneen na Geesa. This is completely unacceptable to the parents and the teachers. Gaelscoil Dara is the only Irish Gaelscoil in Galway city, accommodating 242 pupils. I had the privilege of having my two sons educated there and I compliment the teachers and everyone concerned with that school who have operated it in difficult circumstances over the past ten years.

We are asking the Department to allow Gaelscoil Dara to continue in its present premises and to stop giving the parents the vague replies that the Department have been giving over the past four years. I ask the Minister to indicate to the parents that the pupils will be accommodated in the present premises

I have a letter on my file to another Minister in the constituency, my colleague Deputy Michael D. Higgins, from the Minister, Deputy Bhreathnach. The letter, dated 22 February, states:

The Department has proposed that the Gaelscoil transfer to the nearby Holy Family School ... the Department intends to refurbish the school building to accommodate the pupils from Gaelscoil Dara.

A month ago a similar letter was sent to another Minister in the constituency. Does the Department know what it is doing or does it wish to continue deceiving the parents and the manager of this school?

Minister of State at the Department of Education (Mr. Aylward)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an deis a thug an Teachta dom léiriú a thabhairt faoin staid ina bhfuil cúrsaí chun cóiríocht bhuan a chur ar fáil do Ghaelscoil Dara.

Gaelscoil Dara was established in 1984. It currently has on its staff a principal and seven assistant teachers and an enrolment of 236 pupils. The school is at present located in premises at Renmore leased from the Brothers of Charity. The Brothers have been indicating for some time that they wish to have vacant possession of the premises in question and this has added urgency to the necessity to acquire permanent premises for the Gaelscoil.

Until quite recently my Department has been operating on the basis that the Holy Family School building, which is beside the existing Gaelscoil Dara, would become vacant in the very near future as a result of the pupils at present occupying the building being accommodated elsewhere and that the vacant building could be occupied then by Gaelscoil Dara as a permanent premises. That premises is occupied at present by two schools, one for traveller pupils and the other for mildly handicapped pupils.

There were objections from the representatives of the traveller pupils to the movement of their pupils that would have been necessary under the plan I have outlined.

In addition a review of the plan in relation to resolving the accommodation situation for Gaelscoil Dara has been undertaken by relevant sections of my Department in the light of current policies in favour of integration that apply to the categories of pupils currently accommodated in the Holy Family School premises.

The position of my Department is that it is not in favour of any arrangements whereby either the traveller pupils or the mentally handicapped pupils would be transferred en bloc to the former St. Brendan's national school premises or elsewhere from Holy Family School at Renmore as previously envisaged. Such a move would not be in accordance with the policy of integration that applies in relation to both of these groups.

A coherent strategy is now being pursued in accordance with integration policy gradually to accommodate the traveller pupils in special classes in ordinary national schools. Similarly the moderately mentally handicapped pupils, it is hoped, will eventually be rehoused in a number of locations nearer their homes with varying degrees of educational integration in local ordinary national schools. In that context a realistic reappraisal has compelled my Department to recognise that the phasing out of Holy Family School will take some time to achieve.

In these circumstances the Department is no longer working on the basis that the urgent accommodation needs of Gaelscoil Dara can be rectified by that school gaining possession of the Holy Family school premises.

The Department is now investigating the availability of other vacant school premises in the area that might be obtained and refurbished as necessary to accommodate Gaelscoil Dara. I met a deputation from this school last year and I understand their difficulties. I share the Deputies' concerns that the progress which appeared to have been taking place is now delayed. I consider this case a priority and give an undertaking to Deputies that I will have immediate meetings with officials in the Department to try to resolve it. I am sorry I cannot give a greater commitment at present but I will certainly raise the matter, having discussed it with the deputation who made a very genuine case. I will be pleased to report back on my meeting in that regard.