Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senators. Of course, I cannot comment on the response from the Department of Education but as a TD in this House I fully understand what both Senators are saying to me and the awful shock it was for parents and families. I thank the Senators for giving me the opportunity to outline the situation with regard to the financial situation at the Sacred Heart Junior National School in Killinarden and the ongoing support the Department of Education is providing. While the FSSU, on behalf of the Department, plays a crucial role in this process, in order for the Department to engage with the current financial situation the school needs to engage with the FSSU for this purpose. The Department wishes to expedite this engagement and the school is now constructively engaging with the FSSU. I hope that the situation will resolve itself; that the school, which both Senators care so much about, will not continue in the position it is in; and that the parents and students at the school will be able to look forward to a future that perhaps they were not quite so sure of three or six months ago.