Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I do not think the Minister has looked at the capacity in Holy Family junior national school in any meaningful way. I ask that he speak to his officials and advise them to liaise directly with the board of management of the school and engage with the parents. I would not ask the Minister to take my word for it. There are 27 children on the waiting list out of 107 who have siblings in the school already. It is not possible for these children to be dropped in the morning and for their parents then to head out into the traffic in Swords, which is really problematic first thing in the morning. It is not possible for these parents to get to the other school on time without leaving the sibling in Holy Family junior national school too early. This is further complicated for parents who are trying to get to work, again trying to make their way through the traffic. There is a problem. The Minister has told me he will monitor it, but I have not heard anything from him with regard to the solution. I ask that the Minister and his officials meet the board of management to discuss with it every and any option that might be available, and meet directly with the parents so they can explain their concerns. I have met these people. They are very ordinary people. They are not people who would seek something outrageous from the Department of Education and Skills. They are telling me, and I am telling the Minister, it is not possible for them to be able to drop their children in the morning and then make it to another school. If a child has a sibling in a school already it creates its own problems. They do not want anything other than the capacity to be able to have their children educated in their community, where they play sports and live, where their friends are and where their siblings go to school.

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