asked the Minister for Education the future of the Murneen national school, Claremorris, County Mayo, in view of the fact that (a) a majority of the parents of the children attending the school want the school to be kept open (b) that the school was built only 14 years ago, and (c) that the school is a viable two-teacher school on the basis of its present and pre-school numbers.

My Department are in correspondence with the board of management in relation to this matter. I am not at present in a position to make a statement in regard to the future of the school pending consideration of the observations of the board when they are received.

Can a member of the board of management in question take it from the Minister of State's reply that no definitive decision has been taken to close the school?

In 1976 there was a suggestion that Murneen should amalgamate with Loughemamon and thus there would be a new central school. The indications in the local reports were that there was general agreement on this. In January of this year the Department received a note from a gentleman speaking on behalf of the parents indicating that parents in Murneen school were not too happy, and because of that negotiations are taking place to ascertain the true position.