Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Office of the Ceann Comhairle giving me the opportunity to raise this subject. It concerns the urgent need for the Minister for Education and Skills to approve funding of €50,000 towards the replacement of windows in Bunscoil Louis Naofa, Cloughvalley Upper, Carrickmacross, County Monaghan. This is an issue I have pursued with the Minister, Deputy Bruton, through written representations and also through parliamentary questions.

The school was built in 1985. The windows were installed at that time. They have not been replaced in the meantime and they are of very poor quality. They are aluminium single glazed windows, which are totally unsuitable and need to be replaced urgently. There is an urgent need to provide this funding as these windows must be replaced before winter, if at all possible. The poor condition of the windows causes serious problems in terms of the school trying to provide adequate heating for all the rooms. There are additional attendant costs also because of the poor quality of the windows. The school has also been subjected to vandalism, which also causes a heavy burden on the school.

I want to emphasise that, over the years, through the school's own fundraising efforts, necessary improvement works have been carried out to the school without any assistance from the Department. If one were to go back through the files of this school in the Department, one would recognise immediately that it has not been a burden on the Department with regard to drawing down funding for improvement works.

In the past six years alone, tarmacadam was laid in the playground at a cost of €22,000, the car park was extended twice, the walls of the school were insulated, the GP room was upgraded, white boards were provided in each classroom, the front doors were repaired and the fencing of the school grounds alone cost €56,000. Roof slates had to be replaced and windows replaced due to vandalism. Basic improvement works such as repainting was also carried out in the classrooms. All of those works were undertaken through the school's own fundraising efforts. Apart from those specific projects, there was ongoing maintenance work as well. On a number of occasions the school applied for the summer works scheme grant. Unfortunately, it was not successful.

I visited the school and met with the principal, Maeve Callan, and her staff. There is a great sense of community in the school. I am glad the Minister is present in the Chamber, having been a former school principal. Immediately on visiting the school, one was aware of the great community, atmosphere and huge interest of the principal and all her staff, both teaching and support staff, in the pupils attending the school. It has had an excellent board of management over the years, and successive parents' associations have been very beneficial also in terms of the ongoing work of the school. Numerous parents have contacted me in support of the request of the board of management to have this funding approved at the earliest possible date.

When I visited the school, along with one of the members of the parents' association, Rory McEvoy, whose children attend the school, the interest of the parents and indeed the wider school community was obvious to me in terms of trying to have these necessary improvement works undertaken. They would not be seeking funding from the Department were it not for the fact that they have raised so much funding over the years through their own efforts. Those efforts resulted in accommodation being upgraded and essential ongoing maintenance work being carried out. They believe, and I fully support their belief, it is time for the Department to approve this funding to allow those urgent repair works to be undertaken.

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