Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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235. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if an assessment or review of a situation can be undertaken in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37739/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 provides for an appeal by a parent or guardian to the Secretary General of my Department or, - in the case of an Education and Training Board (ETB) school, - to the ETB in the first instance, where a Board of Management of a school, or a person acting on behalf of the Board, refuses to enrol a student in a school, expels a student, or suspends a student for 20 or more days in any school year. My Department has no authority to compel a school to admit a pupil, except in the case of an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 being upheld.

Application forms for taking a section 29 appeal are available on my Department's website at the following link:, or by contacting Section 29 Administration Unit, Friars Mill Road, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, phone 0761 108588. Completed applications forms should be sent to the address above, together with a copy of the letter received from the Board of Management or a person acting on behalf of the Board of Management, within 44 days of receipt of the schools decision.

The Educational Welfare Service (EWS) of the Child and Family Agency (TUSLA) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The contact details for this agency are:

Educational Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency,

Floors 2-5, Brunel Building,

Heuston South Quarter,

Dublin 8

Phone number 01-7718500.