Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also thank Senators for their support in respect of the Cuisle centre in County Roscommon. This is a situation where the Irish Wheelchair Association seems to be doing its own thing. Various Oireachtas Members had a meeting with the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Finian McGrath, last week. I hope that we get answers to the questions that have been posed. This will inform all the stakeholders of this decision, which was regrettable and which should be reversed. If the decision is not reversed, a stay of one year should be imposed in respect of it. They came in and told the 48 staff that their jobs would be gone by Christmas but this is about the wheelchair users. For the past 20 years, people with disabilities have used the facility. We are proud of it. I look forward to meeting people from Roscommon and further afield to try to resolve this issue. I am delighted that the Irish Wheelchair Association is being brought before the Joint Committee on Health, of which is Deputy Harty is the Chair, in order to answer these pertinent questions.

Last night, I was invited to Westminster to attend an event relating to the integrated education fund. The fund relates to integrated education in Northern Ireland. We should applaud the work it has done over the past 30 or 35 years. In 1978, it was agreed that the fund could bring Catholic and Protestant schools together in the interests of integration. They set up their first school in 1981 and it was attended by 28 pupils. Today, there are 65 such schools and 24,000 pupils. I say this because Baroness Blood, who has retired, is from the Shankill and she believes in this initiative. The baroness states that people should not fear change. The only people who fear change in Northern Ireland are those who do not want it. We need to give as much encouragement as possible to these people. When, despite the fact that four out of five people back moves to transform children's education through integration and that two out of three believe that integrated education should be the main model of education, only 8% of the schools in Northern Ireland are offering integrated education, it begs the question as to why, despite all the work done by the fund, this is the case. I am seeking the support of the Seanad for the great work the fund has done and is doing in bringing communities and families together. The children of the first children who attended these schools are also attending them and this breaks down the boundaries which caused much of the trouble in Northern Ireland and in our country.