Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

What is important is that the Minister of State has acknowledged that the central tenet of the devolved scheme is that schools are responsible for the management of their projects, including cost control, timing of tendering, and so on. The board of management of St. Mary's adhered to the letter of the law in this regard, on which it should be complimented. The problem is that the funding that has been allocated on a square footage basis is inadequate. The school has been in constant contact with the building unit in Tullamore seeking additional funds.

I do not want to play politics with this matter. St. Mary's is a school in a DEIS area and cannot afford to meet the shortfall. I am not making this up. That there is a shortfall of almost €80,000 is a fact. If money is not made available, it will be left to parents, staff and the greater Drumlish area to make up the shortfall. This cannot happen.

Members must ensure this scheme, administered through the Department of Education and Skills, is fit for purpose, by which I mean the money allocated must meet the building costs. At present, €1,200 per square metre is being allocated, whereas building costs are coming in at €1,500 per square metre. As the two do not add up, the Department must revisit it. Moreover, in this particular instance the school has been in contact informally with the Department's school building unit in Tullamore and it must ensure that when the formal application is received, it is dealt with in a fast, efficient and, most importantly, positive manner to relieve the current anxiety in Drumlish.

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