James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for taking this important Topical Issue matter this afternoon, the purpose of which is to highlight the urgent need to provide two additional classrooms during the refurbishment of the existing school at St. Matthew's national school in Ballymahon, County Longford. Currently the school project involves major renovations of the old boys' four classroom school, with an additional four new classrooms, library, staffroom, four special tuition rooms, store and associated ancillary works - toilets included - and the doubling in size of the general purpose room and playing area.

The current project is at an advanced stage and it would make a lot of sense to have the additional accommodation provided now for a variety of reasons. The most important reason is from a health and safety point of view while the pupils are at alternative accommodation. It would also eliminate the provision of temporary additional prefabs to meet the needs of the school and avoid the board of management going down the devolved grant route. The Minister of State said that since this Government came to office, we have got rid of 45% of prefab buildings in our schools. To force the board of management of Ballymahon national school to go down this route would be a retrograde step, and perhaps the Minister of State would take note of that.

There is an urgency to provide these classrooms to facilitate the demand for places at the school caused by the increased population levels in the Ballymahon area of County Longford. There was a rural school a few years ago in Gurteen, just outside Ballymahon. When it closed the pupils from the area came into the town of Ballymahon. It is a rapidly expanding area with a population that has increased by more than one third in the last 15 years or so, according to the latest census figures, and is still rising as a result of increasing pressure for housing in the area due to being a satellite town for the city of Athlone. Families are moving into the town to accommodate the increasing overspill from Athlone. Property is cheaper in Ballymahon than it is in Athlone and that is enticing families to move to this town. Those houses are primarily occupied by young families, which leaves a much greater demand for school places in Ballymahon than was the case ten or even five years ago.

St. Matthew's national school is one of the main providers of primary education in the area and urgently needs these extra classrooms and other facilities. The building programme for this school has been the subject of many questions and representations by me since the early architectural stage was initiated when more than 200 pupils were accommodated in the old building. The current pupil numbers stand at 239, already qualifying for nine classes. I understand that extra prefabs have been approved by the Department and I also understand that there are 28 students enrolled for September even before enrolment day in March, which will bring it to a quota for ten classrooms. I also understand that the National Council for Special Education has identified the need for a special needs unit for south Longford at Ballymahon.

I compliment the board of management at the school in Ballymahon, under the stewardship of Sheelagh Canavan, as well as the principal, teachers and staff at the school for their work on this project to date. I have had great co-operation from them as a public representative for the area. It would make a lot of common sense, from a health and safety point of view, a security point of view and so on, to finish the project now that there is a contractor on site. It would be a retrograde step not to complete the project at this stage.

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