Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)

It has been a longer day than usual. I sat through the entire Report Stage of the Finance Bill 2006, but I am grateful for the opportunity to raise the issue of a group of schools building projects in my constituency which is causing ongoing concern and controversy for the school managements and the parents of pupils in each of the schools involved. School building in Cork may have suffered from an expectation created by the term in office of my constituency colleague, Deputy Martin, as Minister for Education and Science from 1997 to 2000. Since the change of Ministers in 2000 school building in Cork has slowed down to a trickle.

Among the schools I have included in my question on the Adjournment are four primary schools, though one may be a putative primary school, and two secondary schools, all of which became political issues as we approached the general election in 2002. I am a member of the Committee of Public Accounts and we put questions to the Secretary General of the Department of Education and Science, who assured us there was no geographic bias in terms of where schools were built. It is strange, however, that the blips in school building programmes seem to follow the appointment of particular Ministers in particular constituencies. Perhaps that is just a gift the Taoiseach has for making these appointments, but the inverse is that where school buildings were built at a quicker than average rate they tended not to be built in subsequent years.

Some of these schools have waited four or five years and there is no sign of progress. The Government must give a clear explanation for the delays. Some schools have experienced difficulty with land acquisition but parents and the boards of management wonder why the Department, or the Office of Public Works acting on behalf of the Department, is not more proactive.

The primary school in Passage West was all set for development in 2000 but the Seveso directive threw it into doubt because it was within a quarter mile of a dangerous industrial facility, the IFI plant in Marino Point. With the closure of IFI, which had serious economic implications, it was thought the road was clear to build the new school. Three years on there is still no development.

Rochestown is an area of high population where the land is being provided but there still seems to be no clear decision from the Department as to when a new school will be provided.

Carrigaline is a Gaelscoil which is very successful in terms of student intake. Most of its pupils, however, continue to sit in prefabricated structures and the parents and board of management are entitled to demand answers from the Department.

The two secondary schools are in my own community, Ashtown and Coláiste Chríost Rí. Both have been waiting for ancillary facilities in the shape of PE halls and modified classrooms and learning centres. As the primary schools, they have been waiting half a decade and more for positive decisions and the start of construction work on their projects.

The questions are very simple. Why are so many projects outstanding and why is it so in this particular community? The process seems out of step with the average waiting time for schools throughout the country and, as the TD for that constituency, I would like to be able to assure my constituents that their expectations will be met at the earliest opportunity. If the Minister can offer any words of comfort in the way of dates or decisions on resources many people in my constituency will be pleased.

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