Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate what the Minister of State said. In fact, her office is the only one that has been able to give me any kind of concrete information on this matter, so I am grateful to her for that. However, I cannot accept the official response that the Eblana Avenue site is suitable for the reasons I mentioned. I acknowledge the Deansgrange site was always meant to be an interim one. The school authorities know that and nobody is denying it. My understanding is that identification of another primary school for the Dún Laoghaire area was made in the Sallynoggin-Killiney area, which has been given as a patronage to Educate Together. This is all very welcome but my understanding is now the proposal is to move that school into the premises at Deansgrange and move Gaelscoil Laighean to Dún Laoghaire.

I cannot see the sense in that proposal either. The school authorities have no problem with the fact that they are in interim accommodation. They want to move, but not further outside their catchment area. The proposal seems to be for them to move into the catchment area of the new Educate Together for Sallynoggin-Killiney and further outside the Blackrock-Booterstown catchment area for Gaelscoil Laighean. They do not want to do that and it makes no sense. I welcome that the Minister of State said it is was a priority to find a site for Gaelscoil Laighean, but why not leave it where it is until a permanent suitable site for the school can be found?