Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 September 2004
435 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Science the action which has been taken by his Department to provide full-time education for a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; and if this person will be accepted by Scoil Aireagail (VEC), Ballyhale, Kilkenny. [21883/04]
View answerSection 29 of the Education Act 1998, provides parents with an appeal process to the Secretary General of my Department, where a board of management of a school or a person acting on behalf of the board refuses enrolment of a student. Where an appeal under section 29 is upheld, the Secretary General of my Department may direct a school to enrol a pupil. In the case of a school established or maintained by a vocational education committee, an appeal against the decision of the board of management of the school is made, in the first instance, to the vocational education committee. I understand an appeal under section 29 was made to County Kilkenny VEC and that this appeal was not upheld. The parents were advised by the VEC that, as the appeal to the VEC was not upheld, they had an entitlement to further their appeal to the Secretary General of my Department. However, no such appeal was received by my Department. The National Educational Welfare Board is aware of the person referred to by the Deputy and a placement has been secured for him in the Kilkenny individual learning programme.
