Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this item for debate. As Deputy Crawford said, we and the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food, Deputy Brendan Smith, attended a meeting last night at St. Mary's school, Virginia. It was a very well-attended meeting and was very constructive. The parents' committee had briefed us exceptionally well and handled the meeting well.

Deputy Crawford, the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food, Deputy Brendan Smith and I made a promise to work as a team for the people of Virginia. I am sure other Oireachtas colleagues will join with us, so that it will not be allowed to become a political football. There was much debate about how the school had arrived at the situation in which it finds itself. A decision was made that that was historical and we had moved forward. The view of the meeting was that we should consider what is to happen in the future. There are reasons why the situation has got to where it is, such as the increase in population at a rate much more rapid than anybody had anticipated, the increase in new house building and poor planning by departments who did not interact and apply joined-up thinking. Difficulties that had arisen with the school were outlined and people were unhappy with the way the pupil-teacher ratio had been calculated. The school was regarded as having a ratio of 1:24 but in reality it is 1:29. With such a ratio the school would be entitled to an extra teacher. Not only were teachers taking classes but classroom assistants were brought in to make the picture look different. There are five classes with more than 30 pupils and three with 34 or more. Reference was made to the aeroplane seats into which the children were crammed, which is not a good teaching environment, whatever one might be teaching, as it is claustrophobic. The school was built for 190 pupils but there are now nearly twice as many.

Mention was also made of the external facilities, such as the way the portakabins took up the children's play space and the fact that the school faced a busy road. The primary schoolchildren can climb on to the wall, leading to a situation where three members of staff feel they must, for safety reasons, patrol the school yard daily, whereas in most schools one suffices.

It was also revealed that there was one toilet for 17 female staff, which presents health and safety difficulties and would not be accepted in any private industry, never mind in a public institution, which is supposed to be the upholder of such standards.

The collection and dropping off of children also causes difficulties. Approximately 90% of the children must cross the road at some time, because most live on the far side from the school. There is no school crossing, although Cavan County Council advanced many reasons why that had to be so. It was suggested that primary school students be trained to teach the younger children how to cross roads. That is fine if a lollipop man or woman is there to supervise the training programme, but that is not the case and the issue needs to be addressed.

One of the big issues to arise during the night was the assessment process. It was generally known by all present that the Minister had sent an official to examine the case in May 2005. How much time does it take to assess a problem as obvious as children having to attend a cramped school which cannot accommodate its students? Everyone knows that Virginia is a growing commuter town of Dublin. A better road structure will be delivered in the near future and the school has a fair argument.

I wish I could share the optimism of the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food, Deputy Brendan Smith, who said the assessment would be finished by late January or early February, when he appeared to expect positive news. I hope the Minister of State can add to that this evening.

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