Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is an issue the Minister of State may not be fully aware of and I appreciate her taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Bruton. In effect, it concerns a school based on the edge of the Minister, Deputy Bruton's constituency of Dublin Bay North and my constituency of Dublin North-West. Gaelscoil Cholmcille on Oscar Traynor Road has applied for a developing school status, which would allow for an extra class in the school. The Minister, Deputy Bruton, had met representatives from the school who outlined the demand for an extra class this year and forthcoming school years. As the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, might be aware, there is a strong demand for Gaelscoileanna both across Dublin and throughout the State and the demand has increased in recent years.

According to a letter - which I have seen - from the Gaelscoil to a parent who is a constituent of mine, the Department has stated there are sufficient school places in the local area to cater for the demand. However, the school claims that these are not places in a Gaelscoil, which they are not, as there are no other local Gaelscoileanna. While there are places available for a child to enrol in a school, they are not available for the particular type of school in which the child wishes to enrol. While I fully appreciate that an assessment is ongoing in terms of the status of the school and the possibility of it opening a second stream of classes, however, schools such as Gaelscoil Cholmcille encourage the school experience through the Irish language, a love of learning, tradition and culture of this country. The option to send their child to such a school should be straightforward for parents, yet they face rejection letters consistently or are added to long waiting lists.

Allied to this, another aspect was brought to my attention when I met one parent whose child was rejected for class enrolment. The parent had paid for basic Irish lessons in order that their child could be up to speed in the language going into the school. A great many parents may not be proficient in the Irish language and Irish may not be spoken in the home but they have the aspiration for their children to speak the language and a great grá for it. Even if they do not speak it, they want their children to speak it. That is admirable and it means that parents who want their children to go to a Gaelscoil incur an expense perhaps in advance of applying for enrolment to a Gaelscoil and this should also be acknowledged.

The Minister, Deputy Bruton, is trying to confront the issue of more diverse education choices being available to parents and he must be commended on that work to date. Since my election in Dublin North-West, I have witnessed an Educate Together secondary school opening, which is great. We have not had that choice before. Plurality of choice is a very good thing in education. We also have had a commitment of a primary school to accommodate prospective pupils in the Finglas west and south areas with the patronage currently open for tender, for which there are a number of different bidders from different school backgrounds. While these schools are most welcome in these areas I still believe there is more to be done, which something with which I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, and the Minister, Deputy Bruton would agree.

Census 2011 showed that 14,000 of the population of Dublin city identified as a daily Irish speaker. This shows there is still a clear appetite for our national language in the capital. I imagine we will see an increase in that number when we receive the full final published results of census 2016.

While I fully understand why a parent would wish to have their child immersed in our national language from such an early age, I fully believe that in recent years we have perhaps lost touch with our national language, something which many young parents, in particular, are trying to rectify. The Government should commit to assist this wave of education in the Irish language. I hope that the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, and the Minister, Deputy Bruton, and his Department will continue their fine work in opening up the education system.

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