Dáil debates

Wednesday, 20 October 2021

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Schools Building Projects

9:22 am

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her attendance. I apologise that I have to raise this issue but I am disappointed with what is going on at the Department. I will outline the history of the school in question, about which the Minister and I had a Zoom meeting a few months ago. It is Holy Trinity school which has been there for 230 years. It is under the patronage of Church of Ireland and if it was anything but a Church of Ireland school, this would not be going on. The site in Altamount Street, Westport, was formerly owned by the Sisters of Mercy and was selected for this new school. It was the wish of the Sisters of Mercy that this school would be used by Holy Trinity. The school is currently located on Newport Road but this site is not fit for purpose.

The school is a credit to the community. Four or five of the Mayo GAA panel are former pupils, yet there are very few sporting facilities. After the school had been provided by the Sisters of Mercy, there was a row as to who would take over the site. I was involved in that. Neither the county council nor the Department of Education would take it over, but eventually, the Department took it over because there were problems with not doing so. We were delighted when we heard that had finally happened.

All of a sudden, the co-educational school appeared and, for whatever reason, the Department, which had a site for the school in the town of Westport, tried to build it in the middle of a housing estate, in an old social welfare office, which was never going to happen. Then, out of nowhere, the Department decided it would put the two schools together on a site that is capable of having only one school. I hope that in respect of Mayo County Council and the planning office, it will not again be the case that there is one rule for the general public and another for the State. The State should obey the law as the general public does. This site is not capable of housing two schools.

The Holy Trinity school was included in the schools programme. When the previous Minister, Deputy McHugh, was in office, he texted me to say the school was going ahead, that the co-educational school would not be with it and that the Holy Trinity school was about to begin construction. I have a copy of the text message on my phone. To be fair to Holy Trinity, the management, the principal, the teachers and the 230 pupils, the time has come for the school to be built. We have the site and the school is in the programme. The site is going into dereliction and is affecting the town of Westport, which is very proud of its tradition with Tidy Towns and very little dereliction. Across from the site, a new library is to be built.

I accept that the Minister inherited this problem but she might address my questions. When will Holy Trinity get its school? Who made the decision to have the co-educational school co-located with the Holy Trinity school, given that it was never in the game in the first instance?

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