asked the Minister for Education the reason for the delay in erecting a new school at Carrateigue, County Mayo.

151.

asked the Minister for Education when work is likely to begin on the new national school at Carrateigue, County Mayo; and, if there is a likelihood of further considerable delay, if he will state the reason or reasons therefore.

I propose, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 150 and 151 together.

Evidence of title to the site of the proposed new three teacher school at Carrateigue was awaited. It has just been submitted. If the title is found on examination to be satisfactory, the Department will sanction a grant towards the cost of the new school.

I am unable to say at this stage when the work of erection will begin.

Does the Minister say evidence of title has been submitted?

Within the last few days.

Is this evidence of title in relation to the same land that was the subject matter of the proposed site over the last four or five years or is it in relation to a new offer?

As far as I know it is the site which has been in question in recent years.

The Minister says this will be examined in order to ascertain whether or not it is satisfactory. If there is any doubt about the title, and if that doubt would cause further delay, the Minister can be assured of an alternative site in relation to which there would be no difficulty about title. Further, is the Minister aware of the urgent necessity for doing something here in view of the fact that last Friday night a meeting, attended by Deputy Calleary, Deputy O'Hara and me, succeeded in getting the children back to school so that we could pursue the matter and bring about the earliest possible solution to the whole problem? I can give the Minister the name of the person who is offering the alternative site; he offered it openly at the meeting. I will hand the Minister his name afterwards.

I am grateful to the Deputy for that information, but I should say I am not aware of any doubt in relation to the title submitted. Neither am I aware that it is in order. All I know is it has been submitted and is being examined. I shall bear in mind what the Deputy has said.

What I am afraid of is that there will be the same difficulty as was there over the last few years. It may not be there. Time may have cured it.

Is the Minister aware that correspondence about this matter has been going on for about seven years? That is what the people told us at the meeting. Will the Minister take the necessary steps to proceed at the earliest possible date? It is necessary, I think, to go ahead with reconstruction of the old school so as to make it fit and, secondly, to proceed with the building of the new school. The matter is urgent and feeling is running high there.

I can assure the Deputy there will be no undue delay in proceeding with the school. I should also like to point out that, if there has been delay in this matter over seven years, it is not to be assumed that that delay occurred on the part of the Department of Education.

Agreed, but if the delay is not in the Development of Education surely a benevolent Ministry would take some steps to shorten the delay at some other source.

It may be that efforts have been made in that regard.

asked the Minister for Education whether he has yet completed his enquiries regarding Culleens and Balymachola national schools, County Mayo.

I should like to refer the Deputy to the replies given by me on 1st December, 1965, and 28th October, 1965, regarding these schools.

The investigation of the matter has not yet been completed.

I might add that every effort is being made so that a decision in these cases may be given at an early date.

Would the Minister now make a really early date so as to prevent any kind of agitation which might thwart himself in the long run? Will he undertake to do that?

I can assure the Deputy that, as far as I am concerned, this will not be delayed one day longer than is necessary, but the Deputy will appreciate that the matter is not entirely one for me. I have good reason to believe that the proposals from the Department will be accepted quickly by the people concerned and, if they are, I think the Deputy will find that the children concerned will be housed in good conditions very much sooner than he might suspect.

I might suspect a great many things.

There is a strike by the schoolchildren there at the present time. They are not attending school. Is the Minister aware of that?

I am so aware.