Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 29 Apr 1993

Vol. 429 No. 8

Adjournment Debate. - Dunmanus (Cork) School Closure.

Mr. Sheehan

A Cheann Comhairle, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to raise the important matter of the closure of Dunmanus national school, Goleen, County Cork on 30 June 1993.

I ask the Minister why this school is being closed down on that date without consultation with the board of management or the parents' association? Is this course of action now accepted departmental policy? Both the board of management and the parents are highly incensed by the lack of dialogue on the matter. Two years ago an opportunity to amalgamate with another school presented itself. If that option had been chosen, the children of that school would have been offered free transport to Goleen national school.

In view of the Department's decision now to close the school and that the opportunity to amalgamate was not investigated at the time, will the Department ensure that justice is seen to be done and if it is necessary to close the school on 30 June to offer the children concerned free transport to Goleen national school? This course of action would be in line with the wishes of the parents. I believe the Department of Education are aware of their wishes but up to the present they have been kept in the dark on future transport plans.

Goleen, which is my home parish has a history of school closures during the past four decades. In the period 1940-50 this parish had eight national schools, both Catholic and Protestant. Today there are only two national schools left in the parish, one two teacher school in the village of Goleen and, I believe a one teacher school in Lissigriffin from 30 June next. Goleen parish is the most south-westerly parish in Ireland and the clergy, teachers and parents are fighting to hold on to their identity as a parish. It is most important that if a school closes within the catchment area of a parish its pupils should be transported by the Department to the nearest school operating in the parish, which in the case of Dunmanus is Goleen national school.

I wish to ascertain from the Minister if a decision has been made about the transport of the children concerned to Goleen national school in the event of the closure of Dunmanus national school?

Every parish likes to hold its identity, particularly when it comes to Confirmation day. When the Bishop comes to officiate at Confirmation he will find that the school population has become so depleted that the pupils have been absorbed into adjoining parishes. I believe this is the wrong approach. I hope the Minister has good news for me and that it is proposed to retain the few pupils we have left in my little home parish so that we can ensure that the parish of Goleen can hold its identity in the years to come.

Mr. O'Dea

I thank Deputy Sheehan for raising this matter. It gives me an opportunity on behalf of the Minister for Education of outlining the position in relation to the closure of Dunmanus national school, County Cork.

As far back as the early seventies, the Department of Education sought to provide a central school in Goleen parish, to include the Dunmanus and Goleen schools initially and Lissigriffin national school at a later stage. Despite protracted discussions at that time agreement could not be reached on the proposal. The question of amalgamating Dunmanus national school with Goleen national school was considered in the Department on a number of occasions. However, the indications were that such an amalgamation would not be supported locally.

The enrolment in Dunmanus national school declined to the point where there were only eight pupils on roll in September of 1991 and nine in September 1992, two of whom, I understand, left the school subsequently. There is apparently no reasonable prospect for a significant improvement in the school's enrolment in the foreseeable future. An additional factor which has to be taken into account is the fact that the Dunmanus school building is over 100 years old and in need of major refurbishment.

In the circumstances as outlined above, my Department informed the chairperson of the board of management on 12 November 1992 that grants would be withdrawn from the school with effect from the end of the current school year. In situations like this where a school has an extremely low enrolment the question of an amalgamation with another school does not arise.

As far as transport is concerned, the Department of Education has a responsibility to ensure the safe delivery of approximately 169,000 primary and post primary pupils to schools throughout the country. We also have responsibility to ensure that the State gets the best possible value for money expended on the provision of this service. It does not come cheaply in the current year, the nett cost to the State will be some £35.20 million.

Under the terms of the primary school transport scheme, transport entitlement is determined on the basis of the shortest available walking distance to the nearest school. Much confusion arises because it is assumed that parish boundaries are the determining factor. Parish boundaries are not relevant for a variety of reasons, mainly because school transport is basically there to enable children with a means of transport to attend an accessible school regularly. Both in the School Attendance Act and for all practicable purposes, accessibility is determined by walking distance rather than parish or other boundaries such as county boundaries. It would create a very confusing situation if any criterion except distance was to be used in regulating a transport scheme.

Under the terms of the scheme, the children are entitled to B-type transport to Schull national school, because they live in the Lowertown closed school area, which was amalgamated with Schull.

Mr. Sheehan

That should not have been allowed.

Mr. O'Dea

Therefore, if their parents opt to send them to Goleen national school, with one exception, the most that can be offered them is concessionary fare-paying transport. One of the five children involved lives 0.3 miles closer to Goleen than to Schull and would, therefore, qualify for free transport to Goleen national school.

However, were it decided to ignore Lowertown closed school, and offer A-type transport, the children, with the same exception are closer to Schull. The relative distances are:

	Distance to Schull	Distance to Goleen
A	3.2 miles	6.7 miles
B	5.8 miles	5.5 miles
C	4.5 miles	6.4 miles
D	5.3 miles	6.0 miles
E	3.6 miles	7.5 miles

While there are insufficient numbers to justify the establishment of a separate service for these children, my Department would be prepared to cater for them on an existing service to Schull national school.

In either case, where the ineligible children opt to go to school in Goleen, they could be granted the fare-paying concession only, subject to the written agreement of the Schull school authorities to their being transported outside the school's catchment area. I should add that they could be accommodated only when all eligible children had been catered for, and provided that no extra cost was incurred, either by way of a larger bus or an extension of the existing route.

Mr. Sheehan

What about the children who are closer to Goleen than Schull?

The Dáil adjourned at 5.25 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Friday, 30 April 1993.