Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will take the last question first. The Department has a huge openness to working with anybody. Where there would be seen to be an interest and enthusiasm to establish an aonad, in the first instance, obviously, the school itself can approach the Department. If a need is identified an area not associated with the school, however, I would like to think there would be an openness in terms of collaboration for all of us to work together to maybe source an appropriate school or whatever the case might be. We want this to work. We will, therefore, take a very open and flexible approach but, obviously, we will need the co-operation of everybody in the education sector in an immediate area to support it. We will take a very proactive and definite approach in which we include as many people as possible.

In terms of the aonaid, from my own experience, I am aware that even within my constituency, schools started out as aonaid and then developed into Gaelcholáistí. Indeed, we have seen that across the country. I will come back to the Deputy on the study. For example, part of the strategy is looking very specifically at ways of maybe supporting the aonaid, Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí. That is very much intrinsic in the strategy. I am happy to do any body of work that might be required. I will come back to the Deputy on the figure of 47 because I do not want to set him astray.

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