Noonan in clash with Hanafin over placement system

FINE GAEL’S Michael Noonan has clashed with Education Minister Mary Hanafin over the secondary school placement system in Limerick.

He accused her of washing her hands of a system brought in at the insistence of her predecessor, Noel Dempsey, as Ms Hanafin told parents whose children did not get placed in secondary schools of their choice not to give up hope.

Ms Hanafin said an appeals mechanism is in place and parents unhappy with the school offered should take this up with the schools which rejected their applications for placement.