Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

I raised this matter on 14 October 2003. At that time, St. Brendan's national school in Blennerville was closed because of rat infestation. In the course of my contribution I pointed out that the school was on the INTO list of schools in urgent need of replacement. Unfortunately, very little has happened since.

The school is now about 75 years old. In September 2007, the board of management of the school was informed that the file for the proposed new eight-classroom project had been referred to the schools building section of the Department from the schools planning section for the purpose of appointing a design team to the project and initiating architectural planning.

They were also advised that the advertisement seeking design team consultants for the proposed building project was entered that day, 26 September 2007, on the public procurement portal site, with a closing date for the pre-qualification stage of the completion of Friday, 26 October 2007 at noon. At that stage, the Department would conduct the selection competition and the process would continue to the second stage, award of the design contract.

There has been no communication with the school since. Despite a number of letters from the board of management, there has been no response from either the Minister or her Department. I understand school authorities were informed by telephone last January that there would be a substantial delay in advancing the project to the next stage.

I point out that the school will face a crisis in 2009 as it will have enrolment for the next appointment in September 2008. That will be more than 173 pupils. It had two new appointments in September 2007, one mainstream due to development school status, and one resource due to an increase in the number of special needs children.

The school will not have a classroom to accommodate the extra teacher and class in September 2009. Currently, the school has one main building with four classrooms. Two measure 17 ft. by 17 ft. and two measure 19 ft. by 19ft. The rest of the accommodation consists of two temporary buildings, which are mainstream classrooms. One is owned and the other is rented. There is one prefab of 20 ft. by 10 ft. for learning support and one 40 ft. by 12 ft., which is divided. One section serves as an office staff room a store room, the other section is a resource room. This is just unacceptable in this day and age.

The board of management cannot put in another temporary classroom as it would take away a precious play area, which is currently inadequate for the enrolment of 157. I know this yard very well and there is very little space to move.

The application for a new school began in 1996 and the board of management received a letter in April 2000 approving the new school. In 2008, the teachers and pupils are still working in cramped and unsuitable conditions. The teachers, parents and board of management of the school are very concerned and angry that the new school project seems to have been shelved. They feel betrayed by the Minister and her Department, as they were specifically told, before the last election, that the project was a top priority, and money and resources were available to complete it as a matter of urgency.

They were told this by the Minister when she visited the school in the company of the press and the Fianna Fáil candidates running in the last election. They need the new school to progress and they feel they have been strung along for far too long, with projects which started long after them now completed. They still have nothing and worse, no notification of when they can expect progress.

I appeal to the Minister of State present to take these views on board; it is unfortunate we do not have the Minister for Education and Science here or a Minister of State from that Department. I ask the Minister of State to convey to the Minister for Education and Science the message that the current position is not acceptable. Construction of a new school has been signalled for some time and the project should be one of the main priorities of the Department at this stage. I understand that this matter was referred to by three speakers during last night's Seanad debate on school buildings.

A major public meeting is due to be held in Tralee on Monday night next and the people attending will be very angry. I hope the Minister of State can provide good news which I can convey to them. I will give her full credit at the meeting to which I refer if she can provide such news.

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