Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am taking this debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton. I apologise on his behalf as he cannot be present owing to a prior commitment. I will, however, make sure to convey to him the matters raised in the debate. I know Lisdoonvarna very well.

Education provision on an inclusive basis is a fundamental principle of the education and training system. Ensuring every child is supported and given the opportunity to reach his or her full potential is a key priority for the Government and the Department is committed to improving educational outcomes for children in the protection process.

In March the Reception and Integration Agency of the Department of Justice and Equality opened a new direct provision centre in the King Thomond Hotel in Lisdoonvarna, County Clare. The contract is for the provision of services for a maximum of 115 persons and for a fixed period of one year. The provision of accommodation services beyond that date will be subject to a new process and the contract will not be renewed automatically. To date, the Reception and Integration Agency has dispersed 107 asylum seekers to Lisdoonvarna on a phased basis, 36 under the age of 18 years.

The direct provision centre in Lisdoonvarna is one of a number opened by the Reception and Integration Agency across the country in recent years. The Department of Education and Skills has seconded an official to the agency to support the education aspects arising from accommodating asylum seekers in direct provision accommodation. Owing to the ad hocnature of requests for asylum to the agency, it is not possible for the Department to be advised significantly in advance of the fact that a centre is being opened or details of the numbers of children and adults or their ages.

The education issues which arise for local schools and education and training boards relate to capacity in terms of the numbers and age profiles of children and to the English language competency of the adults. The impact of the opening of a direct provision centre on local schools, therefore, needs to be considered on a case by case basis. When the relevant information is available from the Reception and Integration Agency, the Department works with local schools, the education and training board and Tusla on education provision for residents of the proposed centre. St. Enda’s national school, Lisdoonvarna has enrolled ten pupils who are resident in the direct provision centre in Lisdoonvarna and indicated that it will enrol a further eight in September. From the outset, departmental officials have been engaging directly on an ongoing basis with the principal of the school to advise and assist him in the process of accessing additional educational supports required to provide for the needs of the additional cohort of children.

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