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Minister for Education Joe McHugh

This afternoon.

The Minister for Education Joe McHugh spoke to RTÉ’s News at One, on the back of RTÉ Education Correspondent Emma O’Kelly’s report earlier today that engineers had found structural flaws in 17 schools buildings – despite initial assessments carried out last October finding that there were no safety concerns.

These schools are in addition to 22 other schools that were found to have defects last year.

All of the schools affected were built by Tyrone-based company Western Building Systems.

Mr McHugh told RTÉ:

“Going back to the initial investigation [in October] and one of the questions that officials will always ask of engineers – are these schools safe to go into?. Yes they were deemed safe to go into.

“Are they safe to go into today? In terms of what we’ve received over the summer? Probably the answer would still be yes.

“But what I want to do, I want to be over prudent here. I want to ensure that these schools are long-term viable propositions over the next 50 to 60 years.”

Asked if there’s an issue within the Department of Education in how it audits building work, the minister said:

“That is a very good question and it’s something that we’re following up on.”

He said the department has already tendered for an international group to assess this type of building by WBS.

Meanwhile, Ms O’Kelly, who spoke to some of the principals of the affected schools, said they’re faced with “a big headache” as they’re due to open in two weeks.

She said:

“They’ve new teachers, they’ve new junior infants coming in and they’ve to make decisions. One principal described to me scaffolding in the stairwells of the school, scaffolding around the school.

“Another principal has already made the decision to postpone the opening of the school, just for a few days at this stage.

“…some principals are waiting and seeing because it’s very early days. They were just informed of this yesterday.”

Ms O’Kelly also said that the schools, to which the staff have not had access all summer, won’t be receiving the keys to their schools at close of business two days before the schools are scheduled to reopen – giving them one day to prepare for children returning to school.

Listen back in full here

Emma O’Kelly

Earlier: The 39 Schools

Rebuilding Ireland

‘The Schools Were Built Under A Fast Track System’

Rapid Answers

Pic: Rollingnews

Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy

This morning.

On RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.

RTÉ’s Education Correspondent Emma O’Kelly re-interviewed a homeless family whom she interviewed in September 2017.

At the time of last year’s interview, 18-year-old Amanda* said living in a hotel, for a year at that point, had offered her “no privacy” and “no peaceful time”.

She also feared that people at her school, because of her situation, would decide she was “scum”.

Ms O’Kelly started off her report saying “nothing has changed for this family” and explained that the family – a mother, two daughters and one son – are still living in the same hotel room.

In this morning’s report, a tearful Amanda told Ms O’Kelly:

“You want to voice what’s actually going on, the truth with everything, but you are sometimes afraid, and, just, your voice is gone.”

“In my old school, for example a lad started shouting ‘oh, yeah, you’re living the high life, if you’re homeless. You know, you get your bedroom, you’re living in a high-class hotel, you’re getting your food paid for you and everything. You can just around doing nothing, waiting for a house that’s paid for you.

“And I’m sitting there in tears. I can’t hide it because it’s not the high life. You’re living with stench of people, cooking food in rooms, rotten away with mould and everything else.

“I feel like I’ve been stolen of most of my life.”

Amanda also told Ms O’Kelly that her mental health is deteriorating, saying:

“People need to know that it is deadly to live like this. You do just want to…you feel like you have no life left living in here with no help, no sense of security, you just think what’s the point. You really do.”

Amanda also said that it’s the job of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy, and “everyone else that’s sitting in that Dáil” to fix the homeless crisis.

She said “it’s their job to care” and if they don’t, then the job should be given to someone else.

Meanwhile, last year…

After Amanda spoke on Morning Ireland in September 2017, Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy said:

“It’s probably one of the most important contributions to this debate that we’ve heard in the past number of months.

“…the bravery they had this morning to come out and tell the country about their particular circumstances, I think was very brave but very important that people understand what these families are facing…”

*Amanda is not her real name.

This morning’s interview can be listened to in full here

‘Your voice is gone’ – student speaks of being homeless (Emma O’Kelly, RTE)

Previously: ‘Will They Still Be Your Friend? Or Will They Find You Scum?’

Rollingnews

UPDATE:

https://twitter.com/namawinelake/status/1048190649172971521