Eamon Scanlon (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to discuss this matter which relates to the Holy Family national school in Tubbercurry, County Sligo. There are six classrooms in the school, one of which is divided in two. It has ten teachers and five classroom assistants. There are also part-time teachers who teach in the school at different times. There are ten special needs children in the school who do not have any accommodation. Their classes are taught in the hallway. There are six non-nationals and 12 Travellers on the register. There is a total of 131 children at the school. The school is 55% disadvantaged.

I spoke to the principal this morning and she told me they have been looking for a new school since 1972. It is currently at stage six planning in the Department. They were at that stage in 1985, so I do not know what has happened since then. I cannot explain in detail the problems in this school. Some days there are 17 staff, but there is only one staff toilet. These people are working in very confined conditions. The INTO has taken an interest in this school and is one of the issues over which its members might go on strike because of the length of time the school has had these problems and the conditions in which some of the children are being taught. They are using cloakrooms as classrooms. I ask the Minister to use his good offices to ensure that this school, whose conditions must be among the worst in the country for staff and students, receives the attention it needs early in the new year.