Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 28 Jun 2006

Vol. 622 No. 4

Adjournment Debate.

Foreign Adoptions.

Mr. Connolly

The Irish-Vietnamese adoption agreement raises many issues which must be dealt with. It affects a small group of people but has a major impact on their lives. Effectively, there are two groups of people concerned about the recent media revelations, namely, those who have successfully completed their Vietnamese adoption, who are concerned about the validity of that adoption, and those prospective parents who have made initial payments but who do not know the status of their applications at this time. The difficulty is that there has been no communication with these people from the Irish Adoption Board, which is entirely unacceptable. These people are distraught and it is a horrible situation for them.

The difficulties first surfaced when the Adoption Board was tipped off that the chief liaison officer, a Vietnamese lawyer who had worked in the USA, was working for the adoption mediation board with regard to the Irish-Vietnamese adoptions. It transpires that the person concerned has a criminal record. She was convicted in the United States of a conspiracy to defraud, obstruction of justice and witness intimidation, and sentenced to three years in jail, with three years supervised release following that jail term. Therefore, the person to whom we have entrusted the sensitive position of liaison officer for Irish-Vietnamese adoptions, and into whose personal bank account drafts and dollar cheques would have to be paid, has a clear criminal record. The final payments arising from adoption agreements were to be paid directly to her in $50 and $100 notes. Dealing in cash sums to an individual is unusual practice.

The only action proposed in this matter is to ask the Irish Adoption Board to carry out its own investigation. This is unacceptable and I call for an independent investigation into how this was allowed to happen and, specifically, into the adoptions in which the lawyer or mediation person in question was involved. Having the Irish Adoption Board investigate itself creates a major conflict of interest and is unacceptable. As the board is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act or the Ombudsman Act, it is effectively a closed shop carrying out an internal investigation. As a result, we may never know what took place.

While I respect the fact that adoption, by its nature, is confidential, in policy terms it is in the public interest that we should be in a position to ask questions about and find out how the Irish Adoption Board operates. What procedures were followed in appointing the individual concerned? I have been informed in a written answer that the Adoption Board has asked the Garda to check the veracity of the allegations. One would expect this to take one or perhaps two weeks to complete. One simple telephone call to the court records department in the state of Virginia in the United States would ascertain the position because these matters are on record.

As well as calling for an independent investigation, I ask that contact be made with those who have adopted a child in Vietnam. I met a young couple who were in tears because they had read newspapers reports on this matter and no one had communicated with them or reassured them. Many other couples who have adopted children do not know if the adoption is valid. I ask that direct contact be made with all the individuals concerned.

The bodies involved in this matter have received Government funding. People try to adopt legally, although illegal adoptions did take place for a period. The practice under discussion is virtually illegal because requiring people to pay cash in $50 and $100 notes is not much better than illegal.

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Mr. B. Lenihan)

I thank Deputy Connolly for raising this important matter. He correctly raised the question of those who have adopted children from Vietnam and those who intend adopting from that country. I assure him no issue arises concerning the validity of adoptions which have already taken place. They are in order and I will explain the reason. Moreover, as far as prospective adoptions are concerned, arrangements are in place to continue with adoptions from Vietnam.

The Deputy was critical of the approach of the Irish Adoption Board. The board is an independent statutory body headed by a former judge of the District Court. It is a quasi-judicial body which exercises its functions in an independent way. I was glad the Deputy acknowledged the important confidentiality which must attach to the proceedings of the Irish Adoption Board. In light of the fact that a delegation headed by the chief executive of the board returned from Vietnam today, the Deputy's decision to raise this matter is timely because I am now in a position to furnish the House with up-to-date information on the issue.

In accordance with the Adoption Act 1991, a person or persons who are resident in Ireland and wish to adopt a child from another country must apply for a declaration of eligibility and suitability. Such declarations are issued by the Adoption Board. The application must be made through their local Health Service Executive office or adoption society. The applicant or applicants are then assessed by the Health Service Executive or adoption society in line with the standardised framework for inter-country adoption assessment to have their eligibility and suitability established. The assessment process involves a number of stages and the length of the process can vary between applicants depending on the particular circumstances of each case, bearing in mind at all times that the paramount consideration is the best interests of the child.

Vietnam has become a popular country of choice for Irish couples wishing to adopt. Until 1999 only two children had been adopted from Vietnam to Ireland, with a further 104 adopted up to the end of 2002. Vietnam suspended all adoptions with effect from 1 January 2003 to countries which did not have in place a bilateral agreement on adoption. To continue adoptions to Ireland from Vietnam, a bilateral agreement on adoption was agreed in March 2003 following negotiations in Hanoi between both countries. I salute the staff of the Adoption Board and Ambassador Mulhall who did Trojan work to secure this agreement, which is in line with the principles of Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption.

Following the ratification of the agreement, adoptions recommenced from Vietnam on 6 July 2004. Since then 143 adoptions have taken place and a further 87 applications are awaiting a referral from the Vietnamese authorities. Part of the agreement is that Ireland would establish a mediation agency to facilitate Irish applicants with adoptions in Vietnam. In April 2006 both the Adoption Board and the Vietnamese Government licensed Helping Hands adoption mediation agency to facilitate adoptions under the adoption agreement.

For many years, I have been concerned in connection with overseas adoptions that Ireland did not have a mediation agency in place. Strict rules are in place regarding those who can adopt. As I outlined, the necessary declarations must be obtained from the Adoption Board and the necessary courses of preparation must be done with an adoption society or the Health Service Executive. Our assessment of the suitability of those who wish to adopt overseas is way ahead of most jurisdictions in the world. We do not, however, regulate the procedures in place in the country in which adoptions are sought. It was for this reason that I raised with the Adoption Board, on my appointment as a Minister, the question of the recognition of an agency which would facilitate the recognition of adoptions and arrangements for adoptions in the country in which the adoption is sought.

The Helping Hands adoption mediation agency is the first such agency established in this jurisdiction. It supports applicants through the adoption process during what is, inevitably, a stressful and unfamiliar but important life event for them. Helping Hands also ensures that adoptions are carried out in conformity with Irish and Vietnamese legal requirements.

The Deputy pointed out that certain anonymous allegations were made against an individual who was involved in the adoption process on the Vietnam side. Full checks were made on the individual in question prior to her appointment by the agency and these turned out to be negative. The Deputy stated that a simple telephone call to a particular place in the United States would rectify the matter, but in fact the initial inquiries did not put the position right and misled the authorities here on the matter.

Acting Chairman (Mr. Ardagh)

The Minister of State's time is concluded.

Mr. B. Lenihan

Will the Acting Chairman to indulge me for a few moments because Deputy Connolly is anxious to hear the conclusion of my reply?

Acting Chairman

Yes.

Mr. B. Lenihan

The vice-chairperson and chief executive officer of the Adoption Board returned from Vietnam today following a visit to review the adoptions facilitated by the individual to whom the Deputy referred and who acted as a facilitator for adoptions from Vietnam by Irish residents, and to ensure that the bilateral adoption agreement between Ireland and Vietnam continues to operate successfully. The person in question had been suspended from duties following receipt of the anonymous allegation.

Following a number of meetings with the central adoption authority at the Vietnamese Ministry of Justice, the Adoption Board has received written notification from the Ministry of Justice in Vietnam confirming the legality of adoptions effected under the Irish-Vietnamese bilateral adoption agreement and that these adoptions were processed in accordance with Vietnamese legal requirements.

The lady referred to by the Deputy has resigned from her consultancy position with Helping Hands adoption mediation agency and has agreed to transfer the remaining Vietnamese adoption dossiers and fees to the Helping Hands adoption mediation agency in Vietnam. Arrangements are being put in place in this regard by the mediation agency. The authorities in Ireland and Vietnam welcome these developments. The board awaits confirmation from the Irish authorities regarding the allegations made against the person in question. For all practical purposes the matter has reached a resolution. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter.

Mr. Connolly

I acknowledge the efforts of the Department of Foreign Affairs. I also want to reassure the 87 applicants who have paid deposits——

Mr. B. Lenihan

If that is in place, there is no threat to those who have adopted or those who intend to. I thank the Deputy for his timely raising of this issue.

Nursing Home Subventions.

Ms Cooper-Flynn

I wish to raise an issue that has been raised many times by people on all sides of the House. I do so because of the decision by the Health Service Executive in County Mayo not to pay any more enhanced subventions for new applicants. The HSE has increased its subvention payments in the south and east to approximately €750 per week. This situation has arisen despite the fact that the Tánaiste last year gave an undertaking at a meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children that she would bring about equality of subvention rates across the country, that she recognised discrimination existed and would do something about it. In April 2005 the enhanced subvention rate in County Mayo was €200, while in the east of the country it was €600 per week. In February 2006 it was €310 per week in Mayo and €720 in Dublin. Today it is €310 per week in Mayo while it is €750 in Dublin. Despite the Tánaiste's assurances, over the past year we have seen the gap widen between subvention rates in County Mayo and County Dublin.

I am particularly disappointed that the HSE in County Mayo has decided that no new applicants will get enhanced subvention, which means the most a maximum dependency person can get, based on the means test, is €190 per week. This is having a serious effect on the situation in our accident and emergency departments. If we are serious about tackling that problem, this is one of the critical areas in which we can do so. The Tánaiste agreed that it is discriminatory and made a commitment to do something about it.

I will anticipate the Minister's reply, as there have been many similar replies on this matter. I do not want to know that it is a means-tested payment. I know that. I do not want to know the subventions available to medium, high or maximum dependency people. I have that information. Neither do I want to know that €140 million was spent on subventions in 2005. I do not want to know that €20 million was allocated in the budget to deal with subventions and to bring about equality because, as I have already stated, that €20 million is already spent and has made no difference. We have moved backwards from the position last December when the €20 million was allocated. Finally, I do not want to know that a working group in the Department is working on the question of how to deal with long-term care because I am aware of that.

Having been a member of the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children for a number of years, I am aware that there have been many positive developments in long-term care, particularly home-care packages, of which 500 were announced last year. These allow people to be looked after at home rather than put into a nursing home. I support this excellent Government policy. However, of the 500, five were made available in County Mayo. Some 3,000 are to be made available in 2006 and Professor Brendan Drumm has promised that we will get more of them. However, as the Minister can see, they are not a real alternative.

The only way this situation will be tackled and genuine equality achieved across the country is by putting serious money into the system so that people in County Mayo do not receive €190 per week while a person in Dublin gets €750. The Minister may argue that nursing home charges are more expensive in the city and that is true, but not to that extent. This issue must be tackled. On one occasion last month there were 30 people on accident and emergency trolleys in my county. There is no reason for people to be on trolleys. Despite the ten-point plan implemented last year, no contract bed was awarded to Mayo General Hospital.

I ask the Minister to throw away the script that has probably been prepared for him mentioning all the items I have listed, and to tell me what the Government will do to honour the commitment given in the budget and in the committee last year. I hope it can be honoured. Many people who operate excellent nursing homes in the west of Ireland find it difficult to survive and, sadly, many patients take up acute beds in hospitals. Although these people should not be in hospital and are more suited to a nursing home, they and their families cannot afford to pay the difference between €190 and the nursing home charge, which is probably in the range of €600 per week.

Mr. B. Lenihan

Tá mé ag tabhairt an fhreagra seo ar son an Aire Sláinte agus Leanaí, an Teachta Harney.

Ms Cooper-Flynn

Tá an tAire Stáit ag caint as Gaeilge.

Mr. B. Lenihan

Níl morán le rá agam mar dúirt an Teachta nach mbeadh sé ceart an freagra iomlán a thabhairt don Tigh seo.

Acting Chairman

Níl ach cúig nóiméad ag an Aire.

Mr. B. Lenihan

Tá a fhios agam. Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Teachta as ucht an cheist seo a phlé ar Athló on Tí. It gives me an opportunity to outline to the House the current position on the nursing home subvention scheme. I fear the Deputy has heard these ominous word before. The Deputy is aware of the principles of the subvention, the criteria applied and the fact that there are different rates depending on whether the applicant is of medium, high or maximum dependency. The scheme was introduced to assist with the cost of private nursing home charges and was never intended to cover the entire cost of nursing home care. Under Article 22.3 of the nursing homes subvention regulations 1993, the HSE may enter into an arrangement with a registered private nursing home to provide inpatient services under section 52 of the Health Act 1970. In making such an arrangement the HSE may pay more than the maximum rate of subvention relative to an individual's level of dependency, for example in cases where personal funds are exhausted, in accordance with Article 22.4 of the Nursing Home (Subvention) (Amendment) Regulations 1996.

In the context of the matter the Deputy has raised on the Adjournment this evening the following Delphic sentence is what I can convey to her: the application of these provisions is a matter for the HSE in the context of meeting increasing demands for subventions.

Ms Cooper-Flynn

Please, Minister.

Mr. Healy

The Minister may stop talking.

Mr. B. Lenihan

The average rate of subvention paid by the HSE generally exceeds the current approved basic rates. Although the Deputy appealed to me not to trespass on her time and outline to the House the amount of expenditure that takes place on the subvention, I have to point out that expenditure on the scheme has increased from €5 million in 1993 to €140 million last year. I do not propose to go into the details of the last budget or the investment package there, however it involves substantial additional funding.

Acting Chairman

Probably €20 million.

Mr. B. Lenihan

The Department is examining primary legislation to expand the policies and principles of the subvention scheme to facilitate implementation of the scheme by the HSE throughout the country. This is proceeding through the Dáil and may afford the Deputy a legislative peg on which to hang her argument again. The thresholds contained in the Nursing Homes (Subvention) Regulations 1993 on an applicant's assets and the value of an applicant's primary residence were increased by regulations on 14 December 2005 to bring them into line with modern valuations. A working group chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach and comprising senior officials from the relevant Departments was established following the publication of the Mercer report entitled, Study to Examine the Future Financing of Long-Term Care in Ireland. This group is examining the options on a sustainable system of long-term care, the views of the consultation that was undertaken on that report and the review of the nursing home subvention scheme by Professor Eamon O'Shea. The Government is considering the report of that group.

The future of residential care funding was discussed by the social partners as part of the report Towards 2016: Ten Year Framework for the Social Partnership Agreement 2006-2016, which states that there should be appropriate and equitable levels of co-payment by care recipients based on a national standardised financial assessment. Perhaps there is some comfort for the Deputy there. The agreement also states that the level of State support for residential care should be indifferent as to whether that care is in a public or private facility.

Ms Cooper-Flynn

I thank the Minister.

Credit Union Act.

Mr. Healy

I urge the Minister for Finance to introduce a ministerial order to allow credit unions to lend 40% of their loan book over five years and 20% of their loan book over ten years, thereby amending section 35 of the Credit Union Act 1997 which is unfair to credit unions as it stifles the growth of the credit union movement.

The credit union movement is a significant community, voluntary and financial organisation and credit unions occupy a unique position in the social and economic fabric of their communities. In the financial services sector credit unions have a unique ethos and modus operandi which distinguishes them from commercial financial service providers. The main reason for this difference is that volunteers have ultimate responsibility for the general control, direction and management of the affairs, funds and records of the credit unions. Credit unions are not-for-profit organisations with social and economic objectives. They are community-based financial co-operatives providing services to the communities within which they operate. Credit unions are owned by their members. Unlike customers of commercial financial services providers who avail of a service, credit union members are uniquely placed to participate in the operation and governance of their credit union. They provide a major social and economic service.

The credit union that I know best, and of which I am a member, Clonmel Credit Union, was founded in 1963 by a group of employees of St. Luke's Psychiatric Hospital in Clonmel, including my dad. Today that union has 21,907 members, €90 million in savings, 26 staff and a purpose-built headquarters. That is reflected throughout the country.

The umbrella body, the Irish League of Credit Unions, has 430 affiliates and 2.2 million members in the 26 counties and a further 100 affiliates in the Six Counties. This is a large organisation in which many well-known people have been involved, for example, John Hume.

The Credit Union Act 1997, which is out of date in respect of financial services, limits the amount credit unions can lend on their loan books. When the Act was introduced the assets of credit unions was approximately €3 billion and loans amounted to approximately €2 billion. At the end of 2004 assets were in the region of €11.5 billion and loans in the region of €6 billion. The effect of the Act and in particular section 35, is that on average credit unions effectively have more money in investment than on loan to members. This is already a reality for many credit unions and the number continues to rise. This could not have been envisaged in 1997 when the Act was commenced.

Savings by members of credit unions which cannot be lent to individual members of the unions, must be invested in banks and building societies and other financial institutions to be lent by them. The money cannot under law be lent to members because the section limits the loan amount. I ask the Minister for Finance to introduce a ministerial order extending the amount that credit unions can lend. I hope the Minister of State has good news.

Mr. B. Lenihan

I am replying on behalf of the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen. I thank Deputy Healy for raising the matter. It is an important issue which the Department of Finance is examining. Under section 35 of the Credit Union Act, loan terms over five and ten years are limited to 20% and 10% respectively of each credit union's portfolio overall. These limits may be changed by ministerial order under the Act.

The Irish League of Credit Unions is proposing an increase in the lending limits to 40% for five year loans and 25% for ten year loans. The league argue that the current limits on long-term lending affect the competitiveness of the credit union movement, as credit unions are not in a position to compete with the banking sector in one of the more demand driven areas of the lending market.

The Registrar of Credit Unions is opposed to any change in the lending limits at this time, primarily because of the danger of increased credit risk. He is of the view that underwriting skills are weak in many credit unions, and that arrears and bad debt provisions in the movement overall are rising. In his view, the ability of credit unions to mange the inherent risks arising from long-term lending is not sufficiently developed.

The Minister for Finance appreciates the concerns of the credit union movement, which Deputy Healy outlined, in regard to long-term lending and acknowledged them in his address to the consultative general meeting of the Irish League of Credit Unions in April 2006. In particular, he noted the strong view held by credit unions that increased longer-term lending could make a substantial contribution to alleviating the issue of surplus investment funds. In considering any change to the lending limits, however, it is important to ensure that it does not lead to any worsening in the overall risk profile of credit union lending. The objective is to ensure the funds entrusted to credit unions by members are not put at risk.

Given the divergence of views on this important issue, the Department of Finance concluded that further assessment and analysis was required of the appropriateness of the proposed easing of current lending limits, balancing the requirement to support the development of credit unions with the requirement to safeguard members' savings. Consequently, the Minister for Finance referred the matter to his credit union advisers, the credit union advisory committee, requesting their advice as to whether a review of the current limits on long-term lending by credit unions should be initiated. The credit union advisory committee is very aware of the importance of this issue and its recommendations are expected soon.

School Accommodation.

Mr. J. Higgins

Tá mé ag roinnt leath mo chuid ama leis an Teachta Cowley. I rise to give voice to the extreme concerns of parents and their children in the Laytown-Bettystown area of east Meath. Those children will need a place this September in Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa in Laytown. The parents' association has issued a statement:

The failure locally to plan for or provide suitable and sufficient school facilities and places has led to the situation where there are currently no class rooms for 98 junior infants due to start school in 2 months time. An application for planning permission for temporary accommodation has been made for the school grounds and across the road in the grounds of the parochial hall but the only acceptable solution is delivery of a permanent site and school as outlined in the recently published East Meath Development Plan.We are aware this is a problem not unique to East Meath but is unfortunately familiar in many rapidly expanding commuter towns.

The Minister of State knows well that we have a similar problem in Dublin West, which I represent. Deputy Cowley and I have visited these parents and children in Laytown to see at first hand the problems they are enduring. The parents also comment on the Taoiseach's response to me yesterday when I pressed him on infrastructure and education for new areas:

In reply Mr Ahern said "in Laytown, where the Deputy was this morning, the number of schools that have been built there is enormous". Unfortunately the Taoiseach has been misinformed in this regard and this statement is untrue. His cabinet colleagues and local TDs; former education Minister Mr Noel Dempsey and junior Minister Mary Wallace whose constituency office is located less than 1 mile from our school; can confirm this.

It is very remiss of the local public representatives from the Government side to have failed to fight like dogs to ensure this facility is provided. I seek emergency action so that the children in question will be catered for this September.

Dr. Cowley

I thank Deputy Joe Higgins for agreeing to share his time with me. Following the failure of local representatives and council officials to plan for or provide suitable and sufficient facilities and places at Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa in Laytown, County Meath, the parents' association of the school invited Deputies from outside that county to view the situation locally. When Deputy Higgins and I visited the school yesterday, the parents informed us that there are no classrooms for 98 children who are due to start school in two months' time.

We are aware that this problem is not unique to east Meath as it is familiar, unfortunately, in many rapidly expanding commuter towns in the counties surrounding Dublin, as Deputy Higgins has outlined. I was present for Leaders' Questions in this Chamber yesterday when Deputy Higgins informed the Taoiseach of the crisis at Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa. I heard the Taoiseach tell Deputy Higgins that "in Laytown, where the Deputy was this morning, the number of schools that have been built there is enormous". That is just not true. The Taoiseach's Cabinet colleague, the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, was sitting beside him when he made that comment yesterday. The Minister of State, Deputy Mary Wallace, was also present. I am sure they can tell the Taoiseach that the circumstances in Laytown are not as he depicted them.

Thousands of residential homes have been built by developers in east Meath since 1997, but not one classroom has been built in Laytown since the 1970s. Education, which is a basic function of local and national government, is guaranteed under our Constitution. Parents demand the best facilities for their children and will not accept the worst. It is disgraceful, as I have seen for myself, that miles of high-density housing have been developed and there is more to come, but no schools have been built to accommodate the children who inevitably and naturally occupy such housing.

This is another example of the failure of successive Governments, comprising all the major parties, to provide basic administration. I have no reason to believe that the alternative Fine Gael-Labour Party coalition would be any different, unfortunately. I urge the Government to be reasonable and to address this problem before it meets the electorate next year. I urge the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Wallace, to take personal charge of the disgraceful situation in Laytown.

Mr. B. Lenihan

I thank the Deputies for raising this matter and giving me an opportunity to reply on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science. I will outline to the House the strategy being implemented by the Department of Education and Science to ensure there is adequate primary school provision for the rapidly expanding area of Laytown and Bettystown in County Meath, not just for next September but well into the future. There was just one primary school — Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh — in the Laytown and Bettystown area before the start of the current school year. At that time, the school was a fully vertical co-educational facility that catered for pupils from junior infants to sixth class. The relevant parish applied in 2004 for approval to establish a second primary school in the area. The Department of Education and Science sanctioned the recognition of the new school, with effect from 1 September 2005. The new school is called Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa, as the Deputies have said.

The Department supported a local agreement that the new school would be a junior school and the existing school, Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh, would become a senior school. The effect of this agreement is that Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa caters for pupils from junior infants to second class and Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh caters for pupils from third class to sixth class. To prevent disruption to existing pupils, it was agreed that children attending Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh would be allowed to continue in that school. It was also agreed that the existing senior infants and first and second classes at Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh would be phased out over the next few years. In addition, as an exceptional matter, the Department allowed Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh to enrol a junior infant class in September 2005 to meet the educational needs of the area. The school authorities at Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh were informed that the school would not be allowed to enrol new pupils in junior infants to second class from 2006 onwards, as to do so would undermine the development of Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa, which is specifically dedicated to these class groups.

Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa opened with provisional recognition in temporary accommodation in September 2005 on the same campus as Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh. It had an enrolment of 91 pupils and a staffing of a principal and three mainstream classroom assistants, a learning support teacher and a language support teacher. Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa has examined its accommodation needs for the new school year and has applied for five additional prefabs to cater for its 2006-07 enrolments. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that this provision has been approved by the Department of Education and Science and that steps are being taken by the school authorities for its delivery.

The patron of Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa has confirmed that he intends to acquire land and make a site available for the purpose of permanent accommodation for the school. The Department looks forward to progressing a project for the school when this matter has been finalised by the patron. The project in question will attract a band 1 priority rating under the published prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects. That the school has secured the highest possible band rating is a clear indication of the importance the Department attaches to the delivery of permanent accommodation for the school and extra provision for the locality. The Department of Education and Science will not be found wanting in developing the project when the patron has concluded the process of site acquisition. I thank the Deputies for raising this matter.

I wish to inform Deputy Joe Higgins that the Taoiseach's comments yesterday related to schools in our constituency of Dublin West and not in County Meath. I have been advised that the Taoiseach intended to refer to the provision of primary schools in the west Dublin area rather than in the Laytown and Bettystown area of County Meath.

Mr. J. Higgins

It was another slip of the tongue by the Taoiseach. Can the Minister of State tell the House when the portakabins will be in place? Will they be there for September? They will have to be.

Mr. B. Lenihan

I assume they will have to be.

The Dáil adjourned at 11.25 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 29 June 2006.