Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

Ag an am céanna, tá mé ag déanamh gach iarracht a chinntiú go bhfuil siad ann. Labhair an Teachta Ó Snodaigh mar gheall ar Gaelscoil Ráth Tó. Sa chás sin, níl ach ochtar ag iarraidh an scoil a chur ar fáil. Nil sé sin ciallmhar. Aontaím go gcaithfimid breathnú ar an ábhar arís nuair atá go leor páistí ann, ionas go mbeidh deis ann gaelscoil a chur i crích i Ráth Tó.

É sin ráite, were I to pick the similarities between Deputies, it would be our almost unanimous acceptance of the role of the VECs. We have all worked with VECs and seen where, through their flexibility, they have met the needs of communities and parents. Elected representatives sit on VECs, their meetings are open to the public and they are accountable. They can grow and develop. For example, parents were not elected during my time, but they can bring much to a VEC, as can the voice of students. This would be difficult in respect of small children, but not so where secondary level children are concerned. In second level, tá guth an aos óg tábhachtach.

I agree with Deputy Joanna Tuffy regarding the new pilot. Unfortunately, the public was not given an opportunity to be educated on what the pilot was about. We were not there to differentiate. I note the concerns of Deputies Tuffy and Quinn about the differentiation among the children and the possibility that someone might feel left out. I have not had an opportunity to visit one of these schools yet, but I hope to do so. I have been given initial information on how the system is working and its practicalities. We should learn from the process and ensure that our final decisions, as supported by legislation, will be the right ones.

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