asked the Minister for Education if he will arrange for the provision of a toilet at Townaghmore National School, Recess, County Galway.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Recess (Galway) School.
64.
Mr. R. Burke
It has been decided that the parents of the children attending Derryvoreeda National School should have the option in due course of sending their children to the new school at Recess or Derryvoreeda National School. A grant sanctioned towards the cost of certain minimal repair works to Derryvoreeda National School in the meantime until the new school at Recess is available does not include provision for the installation of water flushed toilets.
Am I to understand that the parents will have the choice of continuing to send their children to school at Derryvoreeda National School and, if so, would the Minister agree that there is a necessity for toilets there?
Mr. R. Burke
It is considered that the question of installing these waterflushed toilets in Derryvoreeda school should be held over until the new school is in operation for some time and then the Department of Education will be in a better position to determine what should be done about it.
Is not the question involved here that the Derryvoreeda school is in the Gaeltacht?
Mr. R. Burke
The question here was that until earlier this year there was a question of amalgamating a fíor-Gaeltacht school with a non-Gaeltacht school and that was stopped. It was decided that arrangements for the erection of a new school at Recess should go ahead but that the parents at Derryvoreeda should have the option of sending their children to the new school or, if they would prefer, to retain them in Derryvoreeda.
Because the parents in Derryvoreeda, being a Gaeltacht area, have expressed the wish to continue to send their children to a Gaeltacht school is that not the reason for keeping that school open and giving them this option?
Mr. R. Burke
That is so.
These parents have already expressed the wish to send their children to a school in their own Gaeltacht and surely the Minister should not be postponing a decision on whether or not flush toilets should be provided for them.
Mr. R. Burke
We consider it advisable to wait for a period to determine what the new situation will be when Recess is open.
When will work commence on the Recess school?
Mr. R. Burke
The Office of Public Works have decided to reinvite tenders for the erection of the new school and they hope to have the necessary advertisements in the paper during the week beginning 19th July, 1974.