Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

Kilfinane national school in County Limerick has a current enrolment of 126 pupils. It has a staffing of a principal, four mainstream assistants, one permanent resource teacher and one permanent learning support teacher, the latter post shared with another school.

Originally, the school board of management applied for capital funding to the Department for an extension project. A feasibility study was commissioned to examine the merits of upgrading and extending the existing building as opposed to the provision of a new school on a greenfield site. The Department took a decision in favour of the greenfield option on the basis of the outcome of this study and for reasons of cost effectiveness. A site was identified, inspected and found to be generally suitable for the construction of a new school. This has been purchased by the diocese.

It is intended to provide long-term accommodation in the new building for a principal, five mainstream assistants and the full range of ancillary accommodation appropriate to a school of this size. The project was included among those announced by my predecessor on 29 November 2006 to proceed to tender-construction stage. Tenders have been received and the project is now awaiting approval to proceed to construction.

I share fully the concerns of the school community in Kilfinane about their school building, particularly in the matter of the outdoor toilets. The Deputies will be aware that I visited the school recently at the request of my colleague, Deputy John Cregan, and I spoke directly to the pupils, teachers and parents. I assured them that this situation must be remedied as soon as resources are available.

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