Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I said, I am grateful to the Minister of State for coming in. I know that he is acting on behalf of the Minister for Education, but I really think that answer is not good enough. It is not enough for the Department to wash its hands and say we are not specifically responsible and that it is a separate remit. As the Minister of State said, the responsibility of the Department is to provide education at primary and post-primary level. Music is part of education. The provision of musical educational facilities are tremendously important. It is not okay for the Department to wash its hands and say it can do nothing. The Minister of State may not be able to answer the question I have today, but I would be grateful if he would bring it back to the Minister, Deputy Foley. Does she accept that this is an important part of the musical educational infrastructure in Dublin? If so, is the Department willing to step in? We have no answers to the questions about why it is actually closed. If there are financial issues, would the Department not help to solve them? Would the Department not help to save Newpark Academy of Music when it knows the good it does, knows the educational benefit it has to everybody involved and knows that it is a mainstay of musical education in Blackrock? It is part of its remit, whether it is primary or post-primary. Primary and post-primary students as well as adults go to that school. It is not good enough for the Department to wash its hands.