Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Last week, 40 workers in the Newpark School of Music received the shock announcement that the school, which has 600 students and has been located on Newpark school grounds for 40 years, was to shut down with a week's notice. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for giving us an opportunity for a Topical Issue debate on this tomorrow, but I want to flag this issue now because these workers' jobs are gone. This cuts across Departments. At a workers' right level this is Debenhams Mark II. It would seem to me to be a flagrant breach of liquidation rules, so it needs intervention at that departmental level. It also requires the involvement of the Departments of Education and Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. It is a non fee-paying school and a not-for-profit charity on the grounds of Newpark. It does outreach and provides music teaching. It is self-financing and it is now gone. I want to flag this issue. Some of those affected by this will probably be here for the debate tomorrow.

I want urgent intervention on this because it just makes no sense that this should happen. I am asking for urgent intervention.

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