Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 6 Oct 1993

Vol. 434 No. 2

Written Answers. - Trinity House (Dublin).

Thomas P. Broughan

Ceist:

78 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Education if, following her meeting with the trade union representatives from Trinity House School, Lusk, County Dublin, and in view of the tenth anniversary of the opening of the school and the appointment of the Board of Management by her predecessors, she intends to appoint a new Board of Management to the school in view of the various sectional, professional and community interests.

Minister for Education (Ms Bhreathnach)

Trinity House School, which was opened in 1983, operates under a board of management in accordance with policy guidelines and regulations laid down by the Minister for Education. The board of management is comprised as follows: a chairman appointed by the Minister for Education; one member each nominated by the Ministers of Health, Justice and Education; one member nominated by the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin; one staff representative and four members of the public appointed by the Minister for Education, including one representing the local community.

Board members normally serve for a period of three years, after which time they are either asked to continue for a further term or are replaced by a new member. Other vacancies are filled as they arise on an ongoing basis.

Four new members have been appointed to the board in the past 18 months. Three of these appointments were to fill vacancies created by the departure of existing members and the fourth related to the first time appointment of a staff representative to the board. I am currently awaiting nominations from the local community council with a view to filling a further vacancy on the board. Arrangements are also being made at present for the appointment of a replacement representative of the Minister for Health.

The remaining four board members were due for re-appointment or replacement this year. However, because of the number of new appointments to the board in recent times, it was deemed necessary, in the interests of continuity and of retaining a degree of experience, to defer consideration of the remaining positions for the time being. However, it is intended to review the membership of the board in the coming months in accordance with normal practice.

As the Deputy will be aware, the management of a centre such as Trinity House is a demanding and complex task which requires sensitivity and commitment as well as competence across the range of areas with which such an establishment is required to deal. It is therefore very important that the composition of the board of management reflect these requirements. In this regard, I want to pay tribute to the work of present and past members of the board and I can assure the Deputy that the considerations I have mentioned will be to the fore in any future decisions regarding new appointments to the board.