Labour Senator Jimmy Harte has reacted angrily to claims by fellow Donegal Senator Brian O Domhnaill that he helped block an emergency debate on two special pre-schools.
Senator Harte is furious at Senator Brian O Domhnaill’s claims
The Gortahork Senator targeted Senator Harte yesterday claiming he helped block an emergency debate on the threatened closure of St Agnes Special Needs Pre-School in Donegal Town and Ballaghderg Special Needs Pre-School in Letterkenny.
But the Letterkenny Senator has slammed the claims saying that Senator O Domhnaill knows full well that such emergency debates never take place.
He accused the Fianna Fail Senator of using the situation of special needs children for his own political gain.
An irate Senator Harte told Donegal Daily that he cannot believe how low that Senator O Domhnaill has stooped and he will be speaking to him personally on the matter in Dublin today.
Senator Harte said that people should be made aware that he fully supports the two pre-schools, has stated this publicly and his position has not changed.
He said he wants the public to know the real situation and claims that Senator O Domhnaill has done nothing to help the case of special pre-school children in Donegal.
“The Senator is deliberately misleading the Donegal public on this issue and misrepresenting the situation for his own political gain. It is deeply unethical of him to turn a most sensitive issue concerning special needs children into a piece of political theatre and I find his manipulation of the truth grossly offensive.
“The Senator is twisting what are standard technical procedures in Seanad Eireann and turning it into a highly cynical attack on local Oireachtas members.
“Furthermore, this type of political grandstanding from a Fianna Fáil member is highly disrespectful of the local families and children who are directly affected by this issue. I would suggest that his time would be better spent putting forward constructive and workable proposals to Government and working with his local Oireachtas colleagues on how move forward on this matter,” said Senator Harte.
He revealed he has spoken to Minister James Reilly and colleague Minister of State Kathleen Lynch and once again have relayed his concerns to them about the issue.
And he added that if anybody was to blame for the challenges faced by Donegal schools, it was Senator O Domhnaill’s party.
“In the meantime, no amount of political spinning or grandstanding from a Fianna Fail member will ever reverse the reality that it was that party’s wreckless mismanagement of this country that sent our economy into a tailspin and shamefully conceded our sovereignty to the troika – ensuring that generations of Irish children would have to pay for Fianna Fáil’s record of failure whilst in Government for 14 years.”
Tags:
