Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

When parents sought information from the Department as to the number of schools that were closed, the only information they were given was that contained on an RTE website. Would the Minister accept that his Department in the recent inclement weather did not give specific information to parents in schools all over this country, and would he ensure that were such an event to occur again, at the very least schools would be able to give information through his Department's website centrally, if that was their choice?

I would point out to the Minister that he has 13 education centres all over the country. What effort was made by him to use those centres as a means of informing parents and school boards of management throughout the country?

When the Minister came to the decision to close schools in the manner in which he did, he issued an embargo, in other words, he did not get the information out at the time and, effectively, as I understand it, he gave it to one journalist. What was the rationale in doing that? Why would the Minister put an embargo on a decision when, effectively, schools wanted to hear from him and his Department the advice he was to give them? Why would he possibly put an embargo on that?

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