Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this important issue. In 2005, due to increased pupil numbers the Department of Education and Science appointed an extra teacher to Cloontuskert national school in County Roscommon and a temporary portakabin was erected until such time as the school could get the approval of the Department to build a permanent new building.

At that time the school had 82 pupils; it now has 90 pupils. In March 2005, the Department of Education and Science allocated €150,000 to cover the cost of building a new classroom. Following an appeal for additional funding in April 2006, the board of management was granted €161,000 to build a standard classroom and a standard resource room. The school initiated the building project, engaged an architect and builders and planning permission was granted. Building work was due to start in early summer 2006.

However, in May 2006, the overall cost was put at €183,396.98, with a shortfall of €22,396. 93 for the project fund. Therefore, the school made a further request for additional funds from the Department of Education and Science. To date, the school has received €171,000 from the Department, but it now faces a shortfall of €36,871.04 as the cost of building works completed, including fees payable, now stands at €212,424. 24.

On October 27, the Department wrote to the school authorities to inform them that it was satisfied that under the terms of the scheme, the school did not warrant additional funding. The Department now expects the parents to fundraise to make up the shortfall, but this is just not possible. In 1998 the parents had to come up with in excess of €70,000 at today's values to fund the construction of the new school that was built at that time, a project that had been outstanding for some considerable time.

Currently, many of the same parents are fundraising for the refurbishment works approved by the Department for the local post primary school, Lanesboro community college, which is in the adjoining community. It would be grossly unfair to ask these parents to fund the construction of

two schools at the same time. In this small community the school's board of management therefore cannot raise the shortfall, in spite of fundraising efforts by parents and the local community.

This is an unacceptable situation. It is the responsibility of the Department of Education and Science to provide suitable accommodation for teachers and pupils, based on school numbers. The school more than qualifies for this new building. I appeal to the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, particularly in view of the fact that his late father represented this constituency and that the community in Cloontuskert were loyal supporters, to intervene directly with the Department on this issue. He has a foothold in the Department and I know he has looked sympathetically at requests I put forward in the past. In light of the community's support of his late father, I appeal to the Minister of State's generosity and urge him to ask the Minister to reconsider this decision and provide the additional funding without further delay.

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