I welcome the presence of the Minister of State. I will be brief and to the point. I would like him to answer the following questions. Was the Department consulted by the Sisters of Charity teaching order of their intention to close this school and, if so, when did such consultations commence? Has the Department any say in whether the school closes? Is the Minister of State aware there is a shortage of primary school places in the area covered by the operation of this school? Is he also aware that in l994 the same school authorities at national level chose to close a primary school, which was a feeder school for this secondary girls' school, but gave a clear indication to parents at the time that the secondary school was not under threat? Will the Minister of State indicate whether the Department has any lien on the school by virtue of the substantial grants that would have been available to it over time? Is it possible the Sisters of Charity, who have performed an excellent service for this community over many years and who have needs of their own and other priorities, could depart from the school, if that is their absolute choice, but that the school could continue to operate as a secondary school?
There are concerns about the closure of this school. The school is in an area where parents cannot get a primary school place for their children. There have been some primary school closures in this area in recent years and new Gaelscoileanna have opened because of that shortage. There is a shortage of second level school places and this second level school with a good reputation is in the process of being closed.
There is a meeting tonight of the concerned parents of St. Anne's Secondary School and, as was the case in 1994, those parents and the prospective parents of children who might attend that secondary school want to know how we can reconcile those two things at the same time. Nobody disputes the right of the sisters, if they so choose, to move out of this educational activity and, if necessary, to use the proceeds of this school to look after the needs of the elderly members of their community. If that is the motivation for exiting from the school, the State should consider ways that legitimate and real need can be addressed, but the satisfaction of that need should not be at the expense of an absolutely essential educational infrastructural facility in a part of this city where the population is increasing. The perception is that is not the case, but the boundary revisions for the Dáil constituencies published today show that Dublin South-East has lost territory because of the intensification of population within it. It is in this area, which is subject to intensive infill development, that there is a need for such a school.
The parents were not properly treated in 1994 by the authorities in the school and were not given the full facts. It was only through a process of extensive negotiation and discussion with the Department of Education that we were able to get details of what was happening for the parents.
The point at issue is whether this decision is irrevocable. If so, can the educational facility be retained for some other organisation which might provide a second level school? If it can, what kind of leverage or power does the Department of Education and Science have to ensure that the facilities of St. Anne's Secondary School, which have been put in place with the assistance of taxpayers' money over many years, can be retained as an educational facility and the understandable needs of the order of the Sisters of Charity in relation to the pastoral care they have to provide for their ageing community can be addressed in a different way? That would ensure the legitimate needs of those people can be looked after and the rights of parents and the opportunities for school children to get a second level education in this area can also be facilitated.
I know the numbers of students in the school have dropped and those figures have probably been given to the Department, but they have fallen largely because of the closure of the feeder primary school and a certain question mark over the future of this school continuing as a secondary school. The Minister of State may not be directly familiar with the area, but I emphasis there is a serious crisis concerning the number of school places at primary level and this will be compounded at secondary level where there is also a crisis, particularly in respect of non-fee paying schools.
