Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

I am sympathetic to the Deputy's argument. The phrase generally used is "small rural schools" but the official terminology refers to the two categories of "schools" and "small schools". There are small schools with as few as two teachers in Dublin and other urban areas, which is nonsense. The value for money report, which is assessing approximately 600 schools with 50 or fewer pupils, has been delayed in the Department due to volumes of work. It is due to be published shortly and we should have a comprehensive debate on it. The delay arose because of the need to assess comprehensive data on school provision. The pattern of school provision reflected a different time and age, when rural population densities were much higher than they are at present and when students travelled to school by foot. Of necessity, the catchment area was much tighter.

I expect that we will have to continue to sustain isolated communities wherever in Ireland they may be. Parents are legally required to send their children to school for a specified period and there is a constitutional obligation to provide for primary education. The categories that I imagine will emerge at the end of this process will be "isolated schools" and "schools". Some kind of support will have to be provided for isolated schools. In the meantime I encourage schools which have the option to amalgamate, co-operate or otherwise cluster to do so.

We are engaging with the Scottish authorities to find out how they are coping with similar problems, particularly in the highlands where the population density is much lower than in Ireland.

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