Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have two questions. First, will the Minister of State provide a copy of the guidelines set down by the Department to encourage amalgamations or the process leading towards amalgamation? My understanding is that the position is far from clear and that there is not the level of consultation the Minister of State would like to see, although I accept what he said about there being an opportunity to engage in consultation in the future. It is essential that there be such consultation.

Second, does the Minister of State accept my belief that the concept of a one-teacher school is wholly undesirable and that one-teacher schools do not work? If schools are to close in many parts of the country, there will not, therefore, be a school of the same ethos where children can obtain an education simply because the distance involved will be too great and the area too remote. In effect, where Church of Ireland or other Protestant schools close throughout the country but particularly in the west and County Donegal, there will not be an education of choice available to such children. That is undesirable and I want the Minister, without treating people differently, to ensure they are treated fairly in this regard.

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