Victor Boyhan (Independent)

As the Minister of State was reading, I was going through his reply line by line, and with the last line I wondered if we were talking about the same place at all. The last line states that "Mountainside Montessori should consider all other options available to it". It is not very encouraging for a Government policy that is encouraging them. However, what this does, and this is what I always say about these things, is that it puts it on the record, so there is no talking out of both sides of people's mouths in the constituency about what is actually happening. I will circulate this to the media today and to all politicians and councillors in that constituency and let them advocate for the people. I do not even live in this constituency, but it is important. One of the great benefits of a Commencement matter is that you now have it on the record.

This is not an encouraging day from the Government to the community of Stepaside and this Montessori school, but I welcome and thank the Minister of State for at least agreeing to take this back. We have county childcare committees, of course, but, come hell or high water, these people want a place for their children. There are parents listening in this morning who will be contacting their employers to say they may be taking career breaks because they cannot put their two- and three-year-olds into support. That is a pity because there has been a positive partnership between the existing primary school on site and this. I want to make it clear here, on the record, that we do not want to stop phase 2. It will be interesting to see when phase 2 is actually starting. Is this another one of these phases that will be sitting there for another 12 months? However, I appreciate that the Minister of State will take this back to the Department. I will continue to talk to the public representatives this afternoon, and I will certainly be asking them, because there is time on their side, to politically mobilise and get commitments.