John Cregan (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for giving me an opportunity to raise this issue, which is of great importance in my constituency, on behalf of the people of Kilfinane, the staff of Kilfinane national school and the current and future pupils of the school. I have first-hand knowledge of the difficulties being experienced at the primary school, which I have visited on a number of occasions. I have witnessed at first hand the difficulties being experienced. The school was built in the 1800s and was modernised to some extent in 1907. Since then it has served its purpose and has now outlived its usefulness.

I have described the difficult conditions in the school which affect both pupils and staff. In recent weeks, however, the principal has described a sinister incident which occurred in close proximity to the grounds of the primary school in Kilfinane. A person was seen photographing pupils attending the nearby secondary school and when questioned by a passerby, made his escape through the grounds of the primary school. This is a very worrying incident which is being investigated by the Garda Síochána and I hope there will be a successful outcome to the investigation. It is worrying in this day and age, both from the point of view of health and of safety, that pupils must go outside the confines of the school building to use outside toilets.

In March 2005 I led a deputation to meet the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Mary Hanafin, to make her aware of the condition of Kilfinane school. She immediately agreed that Kilfinane needed a new primary school. The various stages for the building of the new school have advanced through the years and it was hoped that this year the tendering phase would be reached. Unfortunately, this has not happened. I accept the Minister's word when she informed me recently that she has not yet agreed with the Minister for Finance her departmental estimate for next year's building programme. I expect she will have an estimate for the building programme. I appeal to her to allow Kilfinane advance to the tendering stage because it is a thriving town in south-east County Limerick with new houses coming on stream. A new school is needed both for the current and future pupils. I ask the Minister to give the green light for the next stage.

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