Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 10 May 1990

Vol. 398 No. 6

Written Answers. - County Kildare (Celbridge) School.

Bernard J. Durkan

Ceist:

71 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Education if officials of her Department have met representatives of the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin or the chairman of the board of management of Scoil Mochua, Aghards, Celbridge, County Kildare; if she will outline the nature of any such meeting; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Bernard J. Durkan

Ceist:

72 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Education if she has received any written communication from the board of management or from individual members of the board of management, Scoil Mochua, Aghards, Celbridge, County Kildare regarding their function or any other matter; the nature and content of her reply to any such communications; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Education (Mrs. O'Rourke)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 71 and 72 together.

I am aware that there is a difficulty in relation to enrolments for the coming school year for Scoil Mochua, Aghards, Celbridge and that this difficulty lies behind the Deputy's questions.

My Department's position is that the school accommodation which has been provided in Celbridge by the representatives of the Catholic religion, with State support, is adequate to meet current and foreseeable requirements. In order to ensure that optimum use is made of the accommodation my Department insisted that a joint enrolment policy must operate between the schools in Celbridge town and Scoil Mochua.

The question of establishing a joint enrolment policy is a matter for the school authorities under the auspices of the providers of the schools whose representative in this case is the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, the patron of the schools. The patron in exercise of his overall responsibilities in relation to the schools in the area has sought to ensure that a common enrolment policy which would best serve the educational interests of the children in the whole Celbridge area would operate.

I do not consider that it would be either appropriate or helpful to refer to specific communications with my Department in this case.