Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will ask questions on behalf of Deputy Catherine Martin, who had a bereavement today and asked me to put them to the witnesses, but I have a question of my own at the outset. It concerns Mr. Loftus's presentation in which he said that the Department of Education and Skills is in regular contact with the schools.

That seems to be in direct conflict with the common experience of almost all of the schools that report that communication is a huge issue. Can the delegates reconcile their experience with what they have said in their statement?

Deputy Catherine Murphy's first question was whether the delegates understood the scepticism and anger of the parents, staff and students of the schools? She referred, in particular, to Ballinteer Educate Together national school which has been without a permanent home for six years and Gaelscoil Chnoc Liamhna which has been located in prefabs for the past 22 years. Do the delegates understand the frustration and hurt the parents, staff and students felt when the Minister announced 42 new schools, some of which are to open as early as next year?

Much of the submission deals with the issues of site acquisition and planning, to which I will return, but regardless of them, there is no excuse for poor communication. Ballinteer Educate Together national school learned from a tweet that it was to move, as we heard in the earlier session. It has been kept in the dark and is relying on public representatives to request information for it. That should not be the case. What measures are the delegates taking to ensure there are adequate lines of communication with schools to ensure they are not kept in the dark or do not learn important information from third parties?

On the issue of site acquisition, what steps is the Department taking to ensure the State lands gifted to religious bodies for community purposes will remain in use for those purposes? That issue has arisen in Deputy Catherine Martin's constituency in Our Lady's Grove primary school in Goatstown. In Senator Grace O'Sullivan's area of Waterford the Educate Together school in Tramore is facing being split on two sites, which would be impossible from a health and safety perspective. That is happening while two existing school buildings, Stella Maris and the CBS, lie empty. Are efforts being made to ensure compulsory purchase order, CPO, powers can be used in a fair manner to protect children's futures?