I wish to share my time with my colleague, Deputy Des O'Malley.
The problem facing 101 pupils and their parents in the Limerick city region in not having secondary school places available to them for the start of the next school year is totally unacceptable. This appalling situation is a source of great concern and anguish to these pupils and their parents. This is an appalling situation for these pupils and their parents and is a source of grave concern and anguish to them. I ask the Minister to do everything possible as a matter of urgency to resolve the problem and allay the fears of these people. This problem has been ongoing for more than a month and while the number of pupils affected has been reduced from 160, there is still a total of 89 boys and 12 girls who are due to leave primary school in the next week who wish to start secondary school in September.
The parents of these children have mounted a very effective, reasoned and informative campaign to highlight their plight and deserve better than they have got to date. Last week they came to Dublin to bring their complaint and frustration to the gates of Leinster House. When Deputy O'Malley raised this matter with the Minister for Education on 26 May last she told him she had met representatives of parents and assured them that no pupil would be left without a place in a second level school next September. That was a month ago and the problem still exists.
Starting secondary school is a difficult experience for children, but when they do not know what school they will be attending or whether there will be a place for them at all it is most unacceptable. Every other pupil leaving primary school in the next week knows what school they will be attending and their parents can plan their books, uniforms and other needs. However, these 101 children in Limerick and their families are in limbo. The Minister should convene a meeting of all secondary school principals in Limerick as well as the chief executive officer of Limerick Vocational Education Committee in order to find a solution to this problem, not only for next September but on a long term basis, so that the problem will not recur next year. The people of this country, including the people of Limerick, are providing a total of £1.8 billion for education this year and one of the basic returns must be the provision of places for every child who wishes to go to secondary school. The children of Limerick and their parents are entitled to nothing less.