Michael Kennedy (Dublin North, Fianna Fail)

Perhaps that is the result of me making good representations but I thank the previous Minister for Education and Science and the current Minister for this. It may be difficult for the Opposition to accept substantial progress is being made.

It should be recognised at least 120 teachers are going back into the system to take up positions in schools that are expanding. As my colleague, Deputy Conlon, stated, a staffing appeals board was established and it met for the first time this month. This independent mechanism is available to schools that find themselves in the predicament of losing a teacher. The boards of management of such schools should make an appeal and, hopefully, their cases will be well heard.

The new schools coming on stream in my constituency are as follows: Educate Together in Kelly's Bay, Skerries; Educate Together, Applewood, north Swords; two primary schools and a secondary school in Castlelands, Balbriggan; Gaelscoil Ros Eo in Rush; and the Rush-Lusk Educate Together school, which has been relocated to a new site on Raheny Lane, Lusk.

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