Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister's commitment to being fair. That is the over-riding position for everybody. If a school has places, it is a non-issue. There is a problem if the school is overcrowded because of huge demand. That is the situation in Clonmel. We have to be supportive of the boards of management. There is no point in paying lip service to them. They do a huge job. For a variety of reasons, they are under enormous pressure on a daily basis as they run the schools. Now, more than ever, they need supports. I believe family cohesion is very important in terms of schooling supports. If there are vacancies, there is no issue. When there is not enough room because of excess demand, surely to God we must have some cognisance of all the courts in the land.

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