Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State highlighted a particular problem. Children have applied to Clonakilty Community College and been told they will find out on 15 December whether they have a place. They have been further informed that, after that date, there will be a waiting list. Most of the children affected are boys. The difficulty is that there is no other secondary school in the town for them. This is a significant issue for the many parents who have contacted my office in the past ten days. We have a scenario in Clonakilty that is mirrored in many other towns. The real issue is that, as the school website, parents and students are telling me, a waiting list will be put in place on 15 December for boys who want to go to school in Clonakilty Community College. They have no other offer and cannot go to any other school.

I am a little concerned by the Department's approach to this. I realise that it is not the Minister of State's Department. There does not seem to be a figure for how many are on the waiting list and what the follow-up plan is to ensure these children, particularly the boys, have an option. At the moment, the boys have no other option for a place in Clonakilty. They must either go to another town, whether it is Bandon, where the schools are full, Dunmanway, Skibbereen or Rosscarbery. The Department must take a proactive approach to this problem. Will the Minister of State come back with the figures? We need to know how many children are on the waiting list. Until we know that, we will not know the extent of the problem.