Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

The Department has given me some background information the Deputy may wish to hear which I will put on the record of the House. The school in question is Scoil Chaithlín Maude. It is a gaelscoil that shares a campus with two English medium primary schools, Knockmore Junior and Knockmore Senior. The gaelscoil is housed in temporary accommodation and also has access to four surplus classrooms in the junior school.

Scoil Caithlín Maude applied for grant aid to replace existing temporary accommodation in March of this year. My officials met with the representatives of all three schools in June of this year to explore how the accommodation needs of Scoil Caithlín Maude, together with the other two schools, could be met on the existing site. At the meeting Scoil Caithlín Maude indicated a preference for accommodation in an eight classroom separate building.

Having considered the position of the three schools a possible solution, and I invite the Deputy to explore it, might entail a reconfiguration of the existing layout of all three schools. However, the detail of how that might be achieved will need to be teased out with the schools concerned. It is intended that further contact will be made with the school shortly. The Deputy and I have now made contact on this matter and he might initiate that process. The reply is on the record of the House. If he wants further details I can give them to the Deputy.

See this speech in context