Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I am aware that the board of management, contrary to the wishes of its patron, is opposed to growing the facility. However, all other schools would be asked to expand to meet such a need and it is in that context that the Gaelscoil is being asked to do so. In this instance the Department owns the site which means that we are not obliged to search for another site on which to build a second Gaelscoil, particularly as the need can be met on the current site.

I do not accept go mbeadh daoine ag cur isteach ar chaighdeán na Gaeilge. The standard of Irish in Gaelscoileanna is tremendous. Throughout the country, children who do not come from all-Irish speaking households are entering junior infants in Gaelscoileanna. They are, therefore, entering these schools to learn Irish for the first time. I have no doubt that the quality of the teaching at this Gaelscoil will, as it has at other Gaelscoileanna, remain high.

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