Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

——involving the rationalisation of community groups and because he is trying to amalgamate services. A whole re-negotiation and restructuring process is going on in that sector.

Second, the Minister said that €7,500 would be allocated to schools in rural areas but where was his Department last summer when a little school in Doaghbeg, Portsalon, Fanad was on the brink of being closed down? His Department was lobbied and every argument put on the table. He got various representations from his own party, cross-party and from different groups. The Doaghbeg school would have closed down last summer were it not for the fact that the Minister for Education and Science made an error in his call for its closure. That is the only reason. The closure of that school, which is in the CLÁR area, would have resulted in those children having to go to another school outside of the little community of Doaghbeg.