Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this issue. Regarding the closure of the greyhound track in Youghal, I think Youghal is being sacrificed on the altar of expediency. It is a profit centre that is washing its face. The terms of reference set out with regard to the Indecon report seem to have worked unfairly against centres like Youghal. There will be a good fight by the people of Youghal regarding the proposal to close this track.

I am grateful for the opportunity to raise the lack of school places in east Cork. The Minister for Education and Skills will be aware of the proposal regarding Carrigtwohill community college. The people of Carrigtwohill are now being told that it could be 2023 by the time the school opens there and that a process is being gone through with Cork County Council. We have had some engagement with the education and training board. As late as last Friday, we were told that a certain number of places for the Carrigtwohill area for the 2020 intake up to 2023 will be provided. Notwithstanding that, I wish to put to the Minister the fact that we are receiving many emails and phone calls from parents who find themselves falling foul of the enrolment policy as instigated by the community college in Carrigtwohill through no fault of their own. They are bereft at the fact that notwithstanding the proposal to put in place new classes for September 2020, there is no guarantee that a certain number of those parents will have places for their sons and daughters for September 2020 and onwards. It applies not only in Carrigtwohill but in Midleton.

I know the Minister is a person of deep empathy who would be very mindful and conscious of the needs of families and will appreciate that at this juncture, there is no guarantee of places for those students in Carrigtwohill, which causes a massive amount of stress for those families. I wish to bear witness for those families because they are being told that by dint of the enrolment policy, particularly where there are two siblings, one girl and one boy, if the girl has received a place in another all-girl school, the boy who may wish to enrol in Carrigtwohill community college is not guaranteed a place. This is a function of the enrolment policy. I have been told by the education and training board that this position is entirely legal. I understand that to a certain extent but in an era where equality matters, it must be the case that the Government does everything it can to ensure that families are not divided in towns like Carrigtwohill by dint of an enrolment policy where there is no guarantee of a place notwithstanding the efforts of the education and training board to provide extra classrooms and the fact that the education and training board is engaging with the Department of Education and Skills as of 18 November regarding future provision of places. We must still ensure that no young student is without a school place so I ask the Minister to do his level best on this.

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