Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I spoke to the Taoiseach on this issue last week. I am glad he is back to take it so I do not have to explain much of the background. It involves the amalgamation of two secondary schools, namely, St. Vincent's Secondary School and North Presentation Secondary School, on the north side of Cork city. All four Deputies representing Cork North-Central jointly tabled a Topical Issue matter last night. We are unanimous in our opposition to the process that has taken place up to now. There has been a complete lack of consultation with stakeholders. I understand from the response of the Minister, Deputy Foley, last night that a meeting between both boards of management and trustees is to take place tomorrow morning. I welcome that and hope there will be a resolution or further deliberation on the next stage of the process that is to be followed. The only document I could find that is relevant to managing the amalgamation of secondary schools dates back to 2001. It is a serious issue that we need to address.

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