THE findings of a probe into how mould infestation at a public school was allowed to develop unchecked should be made available to the public in full and as soon as possible, according to the Opposition.In January Government launched an independent inquiry into the health scare at CedarBridge Academy, which was forced to close in November after teachers and pupils were struck down with respiratory illnesses.

Overseas experts were drafted in and discovered the presence of a potentially fatal mould spore throughout the facility.

At the time, Opposition MPs claimed that the crisis could have been averted had earlier warning signs been heeded, and a number of teachers are now taking legal action against the Ministry of Education, claiming that officials were negligent in not tackling the crisis earlier.

Shadow Education Minister Neville Darrell pointed out that he informed the Ministry of the problem in the summer of 2005. Education Minister Randy Horton later conceded that the issue was first raised four years ago.

The probe, conducted by a three-man team, was expected to take between six and eight weeks to complete.

This week a Government spokesman confirmed that the inquiry was near completion — but that it could be some time before the public are informed of its findings.

“The inquiry is in its final stages,” the spokesman said.

“It will, of course, be reviewed by the Minister and possibly Cabinet once completed. I would not expect any publicising until after the review by the Government.”

But Opposition Leader Wayne Furbert responded by saying that Government had a track record of keeping information from the public — and that it was in the public’s interest to know exactly how the scare developed and if it could have been prevented.

He also noted that Public Safety Minister David Burch recently refused public access to the findings of an inquiry into a tsunami alert, claiming that it would serve “no useful purpose”.

Mr. Furbert said: “We expect this report to be made public because parents have a right to know how a situation that threatened the health of their children and teachers came about.

“I say this because this Government prefers to keep information to itself — such as the decision to not release the report on the tsunami scare. We should trust the people. Public understanding of issues is essential for better government.”