Ulick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)

Last Wednesday the Minister of State, Deputy Haughey, was in the House when I raised a matter relating to Mercy College, Woodford, County Galway and the affects on that school of the cutbacks announced in the budget. Yesterday, Deputy Noel Treacy and I attended a meeting of the board of management, parent representatives and staff of the school. They outlined in detail the effects of the withdrawal of disadvantaged status. As a result of this measure, 3.81 teachers will be lost, which represents almost 25% of the total school staff quota. The withdrawal of special status together with the financial loss of nearly €10,000 will have devastating results in this small school of approximately 230 students.

The school is a small, stand-alone, co-educational school in south-east Galway in a CLÁR programme area, where 41% of the parents do not have any formal or primary school education. Only 13% of students from the school proceed to third level education. The school has taken many children with disadvantages and special needs through to junior and leaving certificate level, and some of these have continued to third level. Will the Minister for Education and Science re-examine the effects of these cutbacks on the school? I believe if the cutbacks proceed as intended, they will threaten the very existence of the school.

I draw the Minister of State's attention to a decision in 2006 to withdraw the disadvantaged status from the school. This was later reversed by the then Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Mary Hanafin. The school was allowed to retain some staff, as well as the home school liaison person. It was vital that the school retained such assistance and the financial support. Will the Minister of State bring to the attention of the Minister for Education and Science the message that this school should retain its status for the lifetime of the delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, action plan, which was the intention of the reversal of the original decision in 2006?

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