Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I do not believe it is good enough that this report has not yet been published. I do not see why the Minister should have been sitting on it for possibly nine months at this stage.

Nor do I understand why he cannot outline to the House when it will be published. It has been in his hands. Why has he not published it and why is he not consulting with other political parties and the educational partners? While he has been sitting on this report, the pupil-teacher ratios of two, three and four-teacher schools have been cut every year. This issue is of major concern to those schools. Speaking on behalf of Church of Ireland schools, Dr. Ken Fennelly indicated that, if the Government sought to wind down schools of fewer than 56 pupils, minority faith schools would be disproportionately affected.

It has been reported in the media that a threshold of 85 pupils has been set as the minimum number for schools. Will the Minister confirm whether this is the case? Will he also confirm that he will publish the report? Our party believes we must support those schools, not leave a threat hanging over them.

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