I propose to take Questions Nos. 147 and 148 together.
Holy Family school is a special national school for handicapped children recognised by my Department. As such, my Department's responsibilities in respect of the school are similar to those attaching to any other school of this nature and relate to issues of management, staffing and funding. The school operates under the normal board of management arrangement, the chairman of which is a member of the Brothers of Charity. The school also benefits from the wider support services provided by the Brothers of Charity to handicapped children in the Galway area generally.
The grants paid by my Department towards the operating costs of the school in the years in question were as follows: 1987, £158,000; 1988, £165,000; 1989, £179,000; and 1990, £183,000. Enrolments at the school have declined rapidly in recent years and indications are that this trend is set to continue. It appeared also that there were wider needs for children with special educational needs in the Galway area.
In order to examine urgently both these wider needs and the specific position at Holy Family school in a co-ordinated way, a project team was established in March of this year comprising the relevant departmental inspectors and specialists in the field of special education, training and assessment in the Galway area.
The findings of this group are at present being considered by my Department in conjunction with the relevant parties in the Galway area. It would not, therefore, be appropriate to make further comment at this stage.
