Please join us in lobbying for your right to educate your child in a multi-denominational school! We need to keep the pressure on in order to secure recognition for Portobello Educate Together and get this new multi-d school off the ground.
It’s important that parents keep up the lobbying pressure on the government and local representatives to ensure the provision of additional multi-denominational school places for our community. We will be organising a new lobbying campaign soon and will email everyone on the mailing list about this (if you’re not on the list and want to join, just email portobellomds@gmail.com).
The following is a list of replies we received in response to our previous lobbying campaigns.
Dublin South Central TDs
Labour
Dr. Mary Upton: “Together with my colleagues Ruairi Quinn TD and Senator Ivana Bacik, I have been fully supportive of the Portobello Educate Together start up group. [...]Please be assured that I am committed to working for a new multi denominational school in the South West Inner City area and I will continue to raise this issue with the Minister for Education and Skills.” – from an email of May 24th 2010
“I am now working with my party colleagues, Senator Ivana Bacik and Ruairi Quinn TD to progress this important issue. As soon as I have any further information, I will be in touch. Please be assured that I am committed to working for a new multi denominational school in the South West Inner City area.” – from an email of February 11th 2010.
Fine Gael
Ms. Catherine Byrne: “I understand your concerns about the shortage of school places in Dublin 6, 8 & 12, particularly in multi-denominational schools. I fully support parents in their choice of school for their young children, and I agree that more school places are badly needed in our area. I raised this matter with the Minister for Education, Batt O’Keeffe TD, this week via a Dáil question and I now attach his reply for your information.” – from an email of February 11th 2010.
Fianna Fail
Mr. Seán Ardagh: “Thank you for your recent e-mail concerning Portobello Multi-Denominational School. I have been in touch with Mary Coughlan T.D., Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills on the matter, and I will contact you again when I hear further.” – from an email of April 28th 2010.
Mr. Ardagh raised the issue in February 2010 with Minister O’Keeffe.
Mr. Michael Mulcahy: “I am in support of your lobby and I fully appreciate the points you raise in your letter and the demand for such further places in these areas. In this regard, I have made strong representations to the Minister for Education and Science, Mr. Batt O’Keeffe T.D., requesting that he review the possibility of providing for additional multi-denominational school places in this area.” – from an email of February 12th 2010.
Sinn Fein
Mr. Aengus Ó Snodaigh
Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh: Ba mhaith liom an Dáil a chur ar athló chun déileáil leis an ábhar rí-thabhachtach seo, namely, the inexplicable failure of the Department of Education and Skills to spend €331 million, or half this year’s capital budget for school building.
This is at a time when demand for school places and parental choice for both secular and multi-denominational education and gaelscoileanna is rising, as evidenced by the presence of parents and children from Portobello Educate Together start-up group outside the gates of Leinster House yesterday. And with the INTO estimating that 400 schools will be required over the next ten years to cater for 100,000 additional pupils.
And the urgent need for the Government to implement Sinn Féin’s proposal for the construction and delivery of 125 new schools each year, which by creating jobs at both the construction phase and in the delivery of education, would immediately act as a stimulus for the domestic economy and contribute to the achievement of a smart economy in the long term. – from an email of November 4th
See Mr. Ó Snodaigh’s email of May 12th and Dail question / answer here.
See Mr. Ó Snodaigh’s email of May 20th and Dail question / answer here.
“I am happy to support your campaign. [...] I would gladly meet with your group and discuss what other steps I can take to help your campaign.” – from an email of February 5th 2010.
Dublin South East TDs
Labour
Mr. Ruairí Quinn: “I thank my colleague Senator Ivana Bacik for taking the initiative in endeavouring to find a location for a new school and to provide a school of choice for parents. She has the full support of Deputy Mary Upton and myself. As the Labour Party spokesperson for Education and Science I have initiated a survey of the schools in your area.
I did this last year for schools in Dublin 2, 4 and Dublin 6. The information I received back provided essential information and facts that were of real benefit to the project of building a new primary school on Haddington Road. After three years the Department of Education and Science accepted, in principle, the need for a new school!
I assure you that I will work hard to ensure that the building of a new multi denominational school for your community is progressed as quickly as is possible.” – from an email of February 11th 2010.
Fine Gael
Ms. Lucinda Creighton: “Many thanks for your email outlining the huge concern that parents have in the Dublin 2, 6, 8 & 12 areas regarding the lack of multi-denominational school places. I fully support the campaign you are involved in, in the Portobello Educate Together Start-Up Group. I have since raised this with the Fine Gael Spokesperson for Education, Brian Hayes. I am interested in raising this particular campaign in the Dail as an adjournment debate. I will let you know when this is scheduled to take place and will forward you the transcript following this.” from an email of May 15th
Fianna Fail
Mr. Chris Andrews: “I would be most glad to meet with the members of the campaign, and I would like to take this opportunity to offer my assistance in any way possible. To this end, I have been in touch with the Minister for Education to obtain clarification on the site mentioned below and the current status of the funding mentioned in your correspondence.” – From an email of February 9th 2010
Green Party
Minister John Gormley
Minister Gormley has contacted our group to offer his support, and will be meeting representatives of the group on May 18th. An update will be posted on the news page after that meeting.
“I am certainly well aware of the difficulties of school places in the Dublin 6 and Dublin 8 areas. It can leave parents and their families in dreadful situations. Owing to this, I would like to wish you every success with this project and I would be happy to help you in advancing it whatever way I can.” – from an email of February 11th 2010.
Dublin South Central Councillors
Labour
Councillor Eric Byrne: “I am a huge supporter of Educate Together [...] and will continue to give you all my support.” – from and email of April 28th 2010.
Councillor Michael Conaghan
Councillor John Gallagher
Councillor Rebecca Moynihan
Councillor Henry Upton
Fine Gael
Councillor Clare Byrne
Councillor Ruairi McGinley
Sinn Fein
Councillor Criona Ni Dhalaigh: “My colleague Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD and I would gladly meet with your group and discuss what other steps we can take to help your campaign.” – from an email of February 10th 2010
People Before Profit Alliance
Councillor Joan Collins
Councillor Brid Smith
The PBPA has offered to support our campaign in any way they can.
Independent
Councillor Vincent Jackson
Councillor Louise Minihan
Further contact details for Dublin South Central councillors are available here.
Dublin South East Councillors
Labour
Councillor Mary Freehill
Councillor Kevin Humphreys
Councillor Dermot Lacey: “I know about your campaign from my colleague Senator Ivana Bacik and am happy to support your campaign in any way I can.” – from an email of February 10th 2010.
Councillor Maria Parodi
Councillor Oisin Quinn
Fine Gael
Councillor Eoghan Murphy:“You of course have my support and I have forwarded your email to Deputy Brian Hayes TD, Fine Gael spokesperson on Education matters. I will be speaking with him about this shortly and will get back to you in due course. Good luck with the campaign.” – from an email of May 24th 2010.
Councillor Catherine Noone
Councillor Edie Wynne
Fianna Fail
Councillor Jim O’Callaghan: “I am happy to support the campaign and had previously written to Batt O’Keeffe on this matter when he was Minister for Education. I have now written to the new Minister, Mary Coughlan [...] the absence of school places in the area is the strongest argument available. If there is anything else that you would specifically like me to do then please let me know.” – from an email of April 28th 2010.
“I will contact the minister to ask what is happening re the proposed multi d school in Dublin 8. When I hear back Ill be in touch.” – from an email of February 5th 2010.
Independent
Councillor Mannix Flynn: “I am a strong advocate of educate together and the issues around multi-denominational schools. I am aware that we are well behind other countries in relation to this matter and indeed intend to lobby all concerned to address this important issue.” – from an email of February 6th 2010
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Fergus O’Dowd TD (Fine Gael Front Bench Spokesperson on Education & Skills, from July, 2010). Response as follows: ”Uimhir:95 Ceist PharlaiminteChun an Aire Oideachais agus EolaíocthaTo the Minister for Education and Science.
To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills if she has received correspondence from an organisation (details supplied) requesting a new primaryschool in that area; and if she will make a statement on the matter.” – Fergus O’Dowd.
Educate Together Portebello School Organisation* For WRITTEN answer on Wednesday, 3rd November, 2010.Reference Number: 40390/10
Freagra Tánaiste Mary Coughlan
“I wish to confirm that my Department has received correspondence in relation to the establishment of an Educate Together school in the area referred to by the Deputy.
As the Deputy may be aware the Commission on School Accommodation is currently reviewing the procedures for the establishment of new primary schools. TheCommission is due to report to me shortly at which stage I will have to consider policy matters and necessary arrangements and revised procedures that will need to be put in place. While the review is ongoing it is not intended to establish any new primary schools except in cases where new schools are warranted because of increased demographics. This means that new schools will not be established for reasons unrelated to demographic growth.
The Forward Planning Section of my Department has carried out a study of the country to identify the areas where, due to demographic changes, there may be a requirement for significant additional school provision at both primary and post-primary levels over the coming years. The study indicated that the requirement for additional primary provision in the short to medium term is likely to be greatest in more than 40 identified locations across the country based on significant changes to the demographics of those areas. The Portobello area was not included in these initial identified areas.
The Forward Planning Section of my Department will continue to analyse demographic trends to determine the level of additional provision which will be required into the future. Overall school requirements in the area referred to will be considered in this context.”
Further contact details for Dublin South East councillors are available here.
