Author: Karl Hanlon
Publication: Irish Independent
Date: August 23, 2006
URL: http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1675003&issue_id=14538
The mother of two Catholic pupils refused
permission to use aState-funded school bus has stepped up her fight ahead
of her children'sreturn to school next week.
A solicitor acting for Mrs Bernadette Gleeson
has now advised legalcounsel to draft appropriate proceedings for a judicial
review.
Solicitor, John Devane, confirmed his client
had received no response to an ultimatum threatening legal proceedings that
was issued to the CEO of Limerick City VEC, Deirdre Frawley.
Last week, Mr Devane issued notice to Deirdre
Frawley, CEO of Limerick City VEC, that he would begin legal proceedings if
Mrs Gleeson's children were not allowed access to the service.
The controversy began earlier this month when
it emerged that the Gleeson children were not entitled to use the special
bus service to their predominantly Protestant secondary school, Villiers on
Limerick's North Circular Road.
A letter from the VEC at the time stated:
"Villiers School is a school under Protestant management and only children
of Protestant denominations have an entitlement to transport on the special
Villiers School bus service."
"We feel very strongly that we should
never have been put in this situation. We won't accept a temporary or patch-up
solution to this because we believe the whole system needs to be reviewed,"
said Mrs Gleeson.
Meanwhile, Ms Frawley has stood over the letter
she sent to the Gleeson family.
