Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Haughey for raising this important issue. I note neither the education and training board nor the Department had any advance notice that this issue was likely to occur. The City of Dublin Education and Training Board has been working with TARGET for a long time and, as the Deputy noted, it has been providing further education and training in Donaghmede for more than 20 years. It was located in St. Kevin's school, Newbrook Road, Donaghmede, and it provides a wide range of courses which the Deputy has outlined and I do not believe I need to repeat them. As he indicated, they include services that go well beyond the remit of the Department of Education and Skills into counselling, child care and many community services but they are supported specifically in respect of adult education provision by the CDETB.

I am aware of the pressure of school enrolments on St. Kevin's junior school because it has experienced a 57% increase in the period between 2011 and 2015 and that trend is continuing. In that context, the school submitted an application in June 2015 to provide for the refurbishment of existing spaces to create two classroom-sized spaces to create a mainstream classroom and a resource room for special education. My Department examined and approved that application and the funding was provided. This latest decision by St. Kevin's, which has written to TARGET informing them that the school is not in position to renew the lease into the future, has come as news and obviously creates difficulties for TARGET in continuing its work. I have been in touch with the CDETB and it will make contact with representatives of TARGET to discuss what are the possible options, bearing in mind the pressures that exist.

As the Deputy requested, I will explore what solutions can be found to ascertain whether the service can be continued, as it has been delivering a valuable service for a considerable time and the notice they have received has been extremely abrupt. I undertake to pursue this matter, as the Deputy suggests, to establish whether a solution can be found that would allow this to continue. While I do not have a specific course of action I can recommend to the Deputy at this stage, I thank him for raising the matter and I assure him I will give it attention.

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