Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for affording me an opportunity to raise this issue. While I do not raise many matters in Topical Issue debates, this is an issue that is close to my heart. Having visited Scoil Mhuire national school in Meelick, County Clare, I can only describe the conditions I saw at the school as absolutely appalling. It is difficult to understand how the previous Government ignored the school and allowed conditions to deteriorate to such an extent, especially during the Celtic tiger period when the country was awash with money. Every area of the school building and its environs is in need of urgent attention. Running repairs are no longer sufficient to deal with the scale of the problems at the school and maintenance is costing the board of management a fortune.

It is difficult to keep up with the number of water leaks at the school, especially from roofs in the prefabricated buildings. I saw buckets and basins in several classrooms and there is a major concern that the leaks pose a fire hazard given that water penetrated the fluorescent bulb fixtures in ceilings on a number of occasions. Water has also caused structural damage to ceilings in the school's prefabricated buildings. The ceilings and foundations of these buildings need to be replaced.

The school has little ventilation because windows cannot be opened as their frames are swollen. This lack of ventilation gives rise to significant safety concerns and is not good for the health of the children or teachers. The main doorframe is unsteady and poses a health and safety risk. All the windows and doors need to be replaced.

Mould is visible on the walls of several classrooms and washrooms, the sewage system is not working properly and there is a foul smell in the toilets where the roof is leaking. There is also water on the floor and junior and senior infants do not have access to hot water in their classrooms which also have leaks in the ceilings. The permanent odour of damp in the school is a matter of serious concern to the school and parents as a number of children suffer from asthma and other respiratory related illnesses.

When I walked into the yard I noticed a number of structural problems with the school building. I observed, for example, that a number of roof slates were missing and several more were loose. The school yard surface is cracked, eroded and uneven and several potholes are visible. Manholes are rusted, dangerous and overflowing. The gradient in one part of the play area is so bad that teachers must constantly monitor the children to avoid serious injury.

Teachers are not to blame for conditions at the school and have done their best. The problem is that the school is old, having been built in 1959 in what was then a small locality. The school is located in the Stonepark area near the church. In the 1980s, many housing estates sprung up on the other side of the parish in the Ballycannon area and the population of the village increased. This also boosted the school population and the school now has eight teachers and 150 pupils, with a further 23 children due to enrol in September.

I visited a number of schools in County Clare in recent months and the conditions in Meelick school were the worst I saw. Stop gap measures or sticking plaster solutions are not sufficient to deal with the enormous problem in the school itself. Remedial works are carried out by the school on an ongoing basis, but the scale of the problem is beyond the ability of the school authority to maintain or fund.

Can the Minister of State give me an update on the situation? The school has applied for emergency funding, because it poses a health and safety risk. A risk assessment has been carried out by a qualified consultant, who has confirmed that the works are urgently required so that the school and its grounds can be made safe for the children and parents who use it.

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