asked the Minister for Education the method employed by his Department to ascertain the wishes of the parents in (a) well-established and (b) new housing areas with regard to the type of primary education they wish to have provided for their children.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Primary Education.
3.
As I informed the Deputy further to my reply to Question No. 9 on 17 November, columns 1275-1277 of the Official Report, the initiative for the provision of national schools comes from local sources in the first instance. If a particular group of parents in any area wish to have a national school established it is open to them to make appropriate application to the Department.
Can we take it that a translation of the Minister of State's answer is that the Department of Education do nothing to provide national schools in relation to what people actually want but merely sit down and wait for people to come to them?
I would not accept that.
I fail to see how anything else arises out of the answer.
In respect of post-primary schools, the Department negotiate with existing agencies. We have boards of management in respect of post-primary schools. The Department would welcome any assistance the Deputy or anybody else could give as to how they would assess the needs of a school in an area where no parents——
Is the Minister of State saying that the Minister for Education employs no methods to ascertain the wishes of parents other than sitting down and waiting for somebody to come in?
I am not saying that. I said that in addition to the agencies employed at the moment if the Deputy can assist the Department further they would welcome such assistance.
I do not want to provoke an argument, but I wonder if the Minister of State would tell the House, as a matter of courtesy, where the Minister for Education is for the second week running?
I am calling the next question.
The Deputy knows the Minister has been in America.
Doing what? There are lots of people over there.