Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)

I wish to protest strongly at the discrimination in Corca Dhuibhne, to which Senator O'Toole has already referred. Two schools, at Ventry and Cloghane, are being treated badly and in a discriminatory manner by the Department of Education and Science. Yesterday, in a united fashion, the Ventry community sent representatives, including one of the teachers, to Dublin to meet the Minister for Education and Science or an official. Sadly, they failed to meet either. They met the Minister who represents the constituency as a Member of the Dáil, but there was not much he could do yesterday.

The schools were given a commitment in writing and they have established that their enrolment numbers are increasing. They had a health and safety report carried out in respect of portacabins, etc., but it would cost a great deal more to implement the recommendations in the report than it would to provide the extra teacher in respect of whom they have already received a commitment. As Senator O'Toole stated, if we were talking about a Gaelscoil situated a few miles outside the Gaeltacht, there would be no problem. This is a ludicrous policy on the part of the State. I call on the Leader, as a former Minister in the Department, to use her good offices—