Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 1: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to problems associated with a school (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26879/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, on last Thursday, 18 June, the inspectorate of the Department of Education and Science published a whole school evaluation report on the school referred to in his question. The evaluation described the quality of educational provision at the school as highly unsatisfactory. I have expressed my clear concern about the serious weaknesses that were identified in the report, including poor teaching and learning, inadequacies in child protection policies and unacceptable standards in the general management of the school.

As part of the whole school evaluation process, the inspectors who conducted the evaluation have made detailed recommendations and have directly advised the school authorities and staff of the improvements the school must undertake. In light of the seriousness of the weaknesses evident in the school, senior officials from the Department have met the patron of the school and the chairperson of the school's board of management on a number of occasions to impress on them the need for change and improvement in the operation of the school. The representatives of the school have accepted the report's findings and recommendations. The patron has confirmed that steps have been taken and progress has been made in respect of a number of the report's recommendations. Officials from the Department will hold further meetings with the school authorities to ensure all the issues raised in the report are addressed. Departmental inspectors will continue to visit the school in the next school year to monitor progress and provide advice as appropriate.

The Department of Education and Science has engaged frequently with the school in question since 2003, when concerns were identified by the departmental inspectorate and other concerns were brought to the Department's attention. The school has been visited several times each year. Extensive advice, support and guidance have been provided to staff and principals of the school and the chairpersons of its board of management. This action was supported by other officials in the Department, who engaged with the management of the school to insist on improvements being acted upon. Some progress was achieved at the school, especially in the 2005-06 school year when a newly-appointed principal, supported by the local inspector, implemented several improvements. These improvements were not supported by the then school management, regrettably, and the principal left the school.

At this point, inspectors and departmental officials met representatives of the management of the school to insist on improvements being made and regulations adhered to. The inspectors continued to monitor the work of the school. A new board of management and chairperson were appointed by the school's patron in January 2008. The whole school evaluation was another step by the inspectorate to assess the improvements being acted on and set the agenda for change in the future. I assure the Deputy that my officials will continue to engage closely with the patron and the board. The quality of the school's work will be monitored through inspection visits during the coming school year.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Is the Minister not utterly embarrassed by the fact that the Department of Education and Science, over a period of five years, chose to do nothing while this school was in crisis? Is he not utterly embarrassed by the fact that nothing was done about these problems, even though they were flagged by the Department's inspectorate and the Irish National Teachers Organisation as long ago as 2003, 2004 and 2005? The entire teaching staff of the school resigned en bloc because of the crisis the school found itself in. Does this not highlight the utterly dysfunctional hands-off approach of the Minister and the Department, which failed to intervene at a much earlier stage in this school and possibly in other schools throughout the country?

Does the Minister accept that it took five years for the Department to introduce new measures in the school to ensure that its children are protected and, more importantly, receive the same standard of education we would expect to be given to any other child in the country? Does he accept that an utter disaster befell the school in question because of his failures and those of the Department of Education and Science?

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The first thing I want to put on the record is that I accept that there have been difficulties in this school since 2003 or 2004. I accept that the inspectorate was aware of the difficulties in the school. I do not accept that the inspectors were not working with the board of management, the principal and others within the school to ensure that an improvement is brought about. One does not want to close a school. We prefer to provide supports for the school to bring about improvements and work in partnership with both the principal and the board of management.

The Deputy will understand and accept that in 2005, for instance, the school having been visited on a number of occasions, it was indicated to the board of management and the chairman in particular that he was to put a proper scheme in place in line with every other national school in the country - and a principal was then appointed to that school who identified areas where improvements should be made and tried to introduce them. Unfortunately, this principal left the school after about 12 months. We then took it over under the whole-school evaluation system.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Will the Minister confirm to the House that the chairman of the board of management in question was also the person who represented the Islamic education board, which is the patron body for two schools in this country? In that context, will he confirm to the House that in 2007 his Department withdrew funding to the Islamic education board, because in his own words, concerns were raised in relation to the operation and representation of that organisation as a primary management body? Will he outline what exactly the concerns of his Department were that led to this very dramatic and unprecedented step of effectively refusing to fund one of the seven patron bodies in this country?

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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There are two issues here. One is the payment that is made to the patron body of the particular group or organisation such as that made to Catholic or Protestant representative bodies. This Islamic education board indicated that it was the patron body for Muslim schools. The imam withdrew recognition of this group as a patron of Muslim schools. In those circumstances the Department withdrew the funding on the basis that it was not the imam's recognised patron. Those were the circumstances in which this grant was withdrawn. As the Deputy knows, a proper board of management is now in place. The imam has appointed a new board, which has accepted the full recommendations in the whole-school evaluation. The board has advertised for a principal and we are working very closely with it to ensure that the children who attend the school will have a proper education system in place for them.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Is it the case that the Minister has audited accounts for the patron body in question?

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister has audited accounts for 2008, as supplied by the present board of management. We have a commitment from the board and are working with its accountants on the furnishing of audited accounts for the previous years.

On a point of clarification, I should point out to the Deputy that there are and could be legal difficulties in some of the issues pertaining to the previous board.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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The Minister better believe it.