Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

This seeks to make the word of the NCSE law on this matter. Once the NCSE looks for it, it has to happen. What Senator Seery Kearney is basically saying is that section 37A is merely the process by which it will be made to happen if the patron does not comply with the obligation to ensure co-operation by the board of the school in providing the requirement or fails to ensure that co-operation. If the patron fails to ensure co-operation by the board of the school with a request by the NCSE to provide a special needs class, that is a fairly serious matter. In such a case, will the Minister of State support a request by the patron to dissolve the board of management as a result of its refusal to comply with the patron's attempt to ensure it provides the special class? Is that her position?

If the patron takes a serious view of the refusal of the board of management to comply with the patron's obligation to ensure co-operation, what will be the response of the Minister of State? Once the NCSE looks for the special class or classes, the board has to provide it. That is what we are being told here. If the response of the patron is to seek the dissolution of the board of management because it has failed to co-operate with the patron's efforts to comply with the amended section 8 of the Act, will the Department support the patron in seeking the dissolution of the board on that apparently very serious ground?