Leagan Gaeilge Thíos/Irish version follows
‘The Queen and Barack Obama are more important to the Government than Irish schoolchildren’ - Ó Clochartaigh
‘If the Government has money to spend on the Queen and the President of the United States then the Department of Education should be able to find money to put proper windows and doors in Tír an Fhia National school in Leitir Móir’, according to Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh. The Senator from Galway West made his remarks to the Minister of State with responsibility for Training and Skills, Ciarán Cannon, during a Matters on the Adjournment debate in the Seanad on Tuesday evening. The school had made an application for funding for essential repairs under the Summer Works Programme and were turned down, as was their appeal and the Senator was seeking clarification as to why this was so and what process was used by the Department in making the decision.
‘It’s like something you would read in a Charles Dickens novel’, the Senator said to the Minister of State. ‘They put a new heating system in the school over the last couple of years but the heat is escaping from the building because of the terrible state the doors and windows are in. There is mould on the walls and ceilings. This is very bad for the health of the children and the staff, especially during the Winter months. There are pupils in the school with asthma and the Board of Management have to get painting done every couple of months to help alleviate the situation. It just doesn’t make sense in this day and age’, said Ó Clochartaigh.
The Minister of State replied on behalf of the Minister for Education saying that there was not enough funding available under the Summer Works Scheme for all the applications received. Tír an Fhia National School was not, according to the Department, high enough up on the list of priorities that the Department had compiled, therefore they did not get the funding they sought. But Senator Ó Clochartaigh said this answer was not acceptable.
‘I don’t accept excuses such as these’, he said, ‘ when the government can find €24bn to bail out private banking debts, and €500,000 a month to pay penalties to the motorway toll companies and €30m to pay for security for the visits of the Queen and Barack Obama. Are the Government saying that the Queen of England and the President of the United States are more important than Irish schoolchildren? If so I cannot accept that ‘, the Senator said in reply.
An Banríon agus Barack Obama níos tabhachtaí don rialtas na páistí na tire? – Ó Clochartaigh
‘Má tá airgead ag an Rialtas le caitheamh ar an mBanríon&
Uachtarán Mheiriceá ba chóir don Roinn Oideachas a bheith ábalta teacht ar airgead fuinneoga agus doirse ceart a chuir isteach i Scoil Náisiúnta Thír an Fhia, i Leitir Mór’, dar leis an Seanadóir Trevor Ó Clochartagh. Bhí an Seanadóir as Gaillimh Thiar ag labhairt leis an Aire Stáit d’Oiliúint & Scileanna, Ciarán Cannon, le linn díospóireacht ar an athló sa Seanad tráthnóna inné (Dé Máirt). Bhí iarratas déanta ag an scoil ar thacaíocht ón Roinn Oideachas ar thacaíocht d’oibreacha riachtanacha faoin gclár oibreacha Samhraidh. Diúltaíodh iad agus chaill siad achomharc chomh maith agus bhí an Seanadóir ag iarraidh fáil amach cén fáth agus cén proiséas measúnaithe a d’úsáid an Roinn sa chás.
Dúirt an Seanadóir Ó Clochartaigh leis an Aire Stáit,‘Tá sé ar
nós rud a chloisfeá i leabhair le Charles Dickens. Cuireadh córas teasa nua sa scoil le cúpla bliain ach tá an teas ag sceitheadh as an bhfoirgneamh de bharr an droch bhail atá ar na doirse agus na fuinneoga. Tá caonach liath ar na ballaí agus ar an seileáil. Tá sé seo fíor-dhona do shláinte na bpáistí agus don fhoireann, go mór mór ins an Gheimhreadh. Tá roinnt páistí sa scoil a bhfuil ‘asthma’ orthu agus bíonn ar lucht na scoile na spotaí tais a phéinteáil chuile cúpla mí. Níl sé seo sách maith sa lá atá inniu ann’.
D’fhreagair an tAire Stáit ar son an Aire Oideachais ag rá nach raibh dothain airgead ar fáil do na hiarratais ar fad a bhí istigh ar an scéim
oibreacha Samhraidh. Ní raibh Scoil Thír an Fhia sách ard ar an liosta príorachta a bhí déanta ag an Roinn, dá bharr sin, ní bhfuair siad tacaíocht faoin scéim, ach dúirt an Seanadóir Ó Clochartaigh nach leor sin mar fhreagra.
‘Ní ghlacaim le leithscéalta den tsórt seo ón Rialtas’, deir sé, ‘nuair atá sibh ag an am céanna ag caitheamh €24bn ar fhiacha príobháideacha sna bancanna, leath milliúin sa mhí mar tháillí píonóis ar na ‘tolls’ ar na mótarbhealaigh agus €30m ar shlándáil do chuairt na Banríona and Barack Obama. An é atá an Rialtas ag rá ná go bhfuil Banríon Shasana agus Uachtarán Mheiriceá níos tábhachtaí ná páistí scoile na tire seo? Más, ea, ní ghlacaim leis’, a duirt an Seanadóir leis.
‘The Queen and Barack Obama are more important to the Government than Irish schoolchildren’ - Ó Clochartaigh
‘If the Government has money to spend on the Queen and the President of the United States then the Department of Education should be able to find money to put proper windows and doors in Tír an Fhia National school in Leitir Móir’, according to Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh. The Senator from Galway West made his remarks to the Minister of State with responsibility for Training and Skills, Ciarán Cannon, during a Matters on the Adjournment debate in the Seanad on Tuesday evening. The school had made an application for funding for essential repairs under the Summer Works Programme and were turned down, as was their appeal and the Senator was seeking clarification as to why this was so and what process was used by the Department in making the decision.
‘It’s like something you would read in a Charles Dickens novel’, the Senator said to the Minister of State. ‘They put a new heating system in the school over the last couple of years but the heat is escaping from the building because of the terrible state the doors and windows are in. There is mould on the walls and ceilings. This is very bad for the health of the children and the staff, especially during the Winter months. There are pupils in the school with asthma and the Board of Management have to get painting done every couple of months to help alleviate the situation. It just doesn’t make sense in this day and age’, said Ó Clochartaigh.
The Minister of State replied on behalf of the Minister for Education saying that there was not enough funding available under the Summer Works Scheme for all the applications received. Tír an Fhia National School was not, according to the Department, high enough up on the list of priorities that the Department had compiled, therefore they did not get the funding they sought. But Senator Ó Clochartaigh said this answer was not acceptable.
‘I don’t accept excuses such as these’, he said, ‘ when the government can find €24bn to bail out private banking debts, and €500,000 a month to pay penalties to the motorway toll companies and €30m to pay for security for the visits of the Queen and Barack Obama. Are the Government saying that the Queen of England and the President of the United States are more important than Irish schoolchildren? If so I cannot accept that ‘, the Senator said in reply.
An Banríon agus Barack Obama níos tabhachtaí don rialtas na páistí na tire? – Ó Clochartaigh
‘Má tá airgead ag an Rialtas le caitheamh ar an mBanríon&
Uachtarán Mheiriceá ba chóir don Roinn Oideachas a bheith ábalta teacht ar airgead fuinneoga agus doirse ceart a chuir isteach i Scoil Náisiúnta Thír an Fhia, i Leitir Mór’, dar leis an Seanadóir Trevor Ó Clochartagh. Bhí an Seanadóir as Gaillimh Thiar ag labhairt leis an Aire Stáit d’Oiliúint & Scileanna, Ciarán Cannon, le linn díospóireacht ar an athló sa Seanad tráthnóna inné (Dé Máirt). Bhí iarratas déanta ag an scoil ar thacaíocht ón Roinn Oideachas ar thacaíocht d’oibreacha riachtanacha faoin gclár oibreacha Samhraidh. Diúltaíodh iad agus chaill siad achomharc chomh maith agus bhí an Seanadóir ag iarraidh fáil amach cén fáth agus cén proiséas measúnaithe a d’úsáid an Roinn sa chás.
Dúirt an Seanadóir Ó Clochartaigh leis an Aire Stáit,‘Tá sé ar
nós rud a chloisfeá i leabhair le Charles Dickens. Cuireadh córas teasa nua sa scoil le cúpla bliain ach tá an teas ag sceitheadh as an bhfoirgneamh de bharr an droch bhail atá ar na doirse agus na fuinneoga. Tá caonach liath ar na ballaí agus ar an seileáil. Tá sé seo fíor-dhona do shláinte na bpáistí agus don fhoireann, go mór mór ins an Gheimhreadh. Tá roinnt páistí sa scoil a bhfuil ‘asthma’ orthu agus bíonn ar lucht na scoile na spotaí tais a phéinteáil chuile cúpla mí. Níl sé seo sách maith sa lá atá inniu ann’.
D’fhreagair an tAire Stáit ar son an Aire Oideachais ag rá nach raibh dothain airgead ar fáil do na hiarratais ar fad a bhí istigh ar an scéim
oibreacha Samhraidh. Ní raibh Scoil Thír an Fhia sách ard ar an liosta príorachta a bhí déanta ag an Roinn, dá bharr sin, ní bhfuair siad tacaíocht faoin scéim, ach dúirt an Seanadóir Ó Clochartaigh nach leor sin mar fhreagra.
‘Ní ghlacaim le leithscéalta den tsórt seo ón Rialtas’, deir sé, ‘nuair atá sibh ag an am céanna ag caitheamh €24bn ar fhiacha príobháideacha sna bancanna, leath milliúin sa mhí mar tháillí píonóis ar na ‘tolls’ ar na mótarbhealaigh agus €30m ar shlándáil do chuairt na Banríona and Barack Obama. An é atá an Rialtas ag rá ná go bhfuil Banríon Shasana agus Uachtarán Mheiriceá níos tábhachtaí ná páistí scoile na tire seo? Más, ea, ní ghlacaim leis’, a duirt an Seanadóir leis.
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