Dáil debates

Tuesday, 27 November 2007

Adjournment Debate

Schools Building Projects.

8:00 pm

Photo of Ciarán LynchCiarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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As the Minister of State, Deputy Wallace, is aware, Ballintemple national school on Crab Lane in Cork is full and therefore unable to cope with the increasing demand for school places within the parish. It is in the unenviable position of being unable to offer junior infant places to nine families from the parish for 2008. Furthermore, the 2009 and 2010 junior infant classes are greatly over-subscribed by families from within the parish. The school is not in a position to cater for the additional demand which will undoubtedly arise when the Elderwood and Belview Abbey developments, both of which are within the parish boundaries, have been completed. It is baffling that so much development was allowed to take place in the immediate vicinity of the school without any provision being made for the education of the children living in the houses in question. I would like that to be clarified on the Adjournment this evening.

As the Minister of State is probably aware, the SMA Fathers have donated a 1.5 acre site to the school, free of charge, to solve this problem. The Department of Education and Science has assessed the site, which is situated behind the SMA church on the Blackrock Road, and deemed it suitable for the construction of a 12-teacher school for the parish of Ballintemple. I am concerned that progress in appointing a design team has been slow, however, especially as the project needs to be advanced as a matter of urgency. I share the view of the school's board of management and the parents who are sending their children to the school that the generous donation of this valuable site should give the Department enough impetus to engage in a more realistic way with the development of the school and to make progress with this scheme.

I would like to pick up on two points which were made in the reply I received from the Minister when I tabled a parliamentary question on this issue. The Minister argued that the school should proceed with the acquisition of the site that has been offered to it by the SMA Fathers. That is not an issue, however, because the site to be acquired will be given to the school free of charge. The Minister informed me that the building project that is required will be considered in the context of the multi-annual schools building and modernisation programme. I would like to emphasise that there are no acquisition difficulties and that there is a clear and demonstrable need for a new school building to be developed. There are no obstacles to the completion of the acquisition of the school site.

The sole outstanding issue relates to whether the capital grant for the construction of the school will be provided for in this year's budget. Is it in the budget or not? What advice can the Minister for Education and Science give the school authorities about the Crab Lane school? When does she envisage that the school will be ready to enrol additional pupils, which is something to which she alluded in her response to my parliamentary question? Is a timeframe in place for the opening of the new school? Will the school be built by conventional public tender, rather than by means of public private partnership?

I accept that the Standing Orders of the House can be quite rigid. However, I have deliberately not used the five minutes available to me so that I will have time to respond to the Minister of State's comments. I hope she will facilitate my wish to organise the debate in this manner, in the interests of getting conclusive information to help the school to make progress with this project.

Photo of Brendan HowlinBrendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Minister of State may well wish to facilitate the Deputy in that regard, but the Chair will not be well disposed to such an arrangement.

Photo of Mary WallaceMary Wallace (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Lynch for raising this matter and giving me an opportunity to outline the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and to clarify the position regarding the provision of a new school at Ballintemple national school on Crab Lane in Cork city.

The modernisation of facilities in our 3,200 primary and 750 post-primary schools is not an easy task given the legacy of decades of underinvestment in this area and the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth. Since the Government took office, it has shown a focused determination to improve the condition of school buildings and to ensure that appropriate facilities are in place to enable the implementation of a broad and balanced curriculum. As evidence of this commitment, €540 million is being spent on school building and modernisation projects this year, in primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. Some €3 billion has been invested in school buildings since 1997 to deliver over 7,800 school building projects. The further investment of €540 million will build on these achievements and focus on providing school accommodation in areas where the population is growing at a rapid rate. As further evidence of the Government's commitment in this area, funding of approximately €4.5 billion will be invested in schools under the national development plan over the coming years. I am sure the Deputy agrees that this record level of investment is a positive testament to the high priority the Government attaches to ensuring that school accommodation is of the highest standard possible. Responsibility for smaller projects has been devolved to school level to reduce red tape and allow projects to move faster. Standard designs have been developed for eight-classroom and 16-classroom schools to facilitate speedier delivery of projects and to save on design fees. The design and build method is used to expedite delivery when the use of standard designs is not possible. Taken together with the unprecedented level of funding available, these initiatives ensure that building projects are delivered in the fastest timeframe possible.

Ballintemple national school is a co-educational primary school with an enrolment of 211 pupils as at September 2007. Enrolments at the school have increased by 14% over the last five years. The school has a current staffing of a principal, eight mainstream class teachers and two permanent learning support and resource teachers. The school has submitted an application to the Department of Education and Science for capital funding towards the provision of a new school. The long-term staffing figure on which accommodation needs will be based has been determined and notified to the school authority. It has been agreed that appropriate accommodation should be provided to cater for a long-term projected staffing of principal and 12 mainstream assistants, as well as for appropriate ancillary accommodation. The school authorities were advised in September 2007 that the proposed site for the new school building was suitable for the construction of a new 12-classroom school and they could proceed with its acquisition from the SMA Fathers. While I take Deputy Lynch's point about the acquisition of the site being a formality, it is obvious that certain legal documentation, etc, will have to be drawn up to make the land transfer official. Perhaps that is the issue at stake. This building project will be considered in the context of the multi-annual schools building and modernisation programme. I thank Deputy Lynch again for raising this matter and allowing me to outline the progress being made under the building and modernisation programme and the position in relation to the provision for a new school building at Ballintemple in Cork city.

Photo of Ciarán LynchCiarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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With the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's permission, I would like to get clarification on a key point. Will a design team be appointed immediately, especially as a timescale for the completion of this project needs to be set as a matter of urgency?

Photo of Brendan HowlinBrendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I am sure that will make an excellent parliamentary question in due course.

Photo of John CreganJohn Cregan (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)
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I would like to share time with Deputy Neville.

Photo of Brendan HowlinBrendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Is that agreed? Agreed.

Photo of John CreganJohn Cregan (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for giving me an opportunity to raise this issue, which is of great importance in my constituency, on behalf of the people of Kilfinane, the staff of Kilfinane national school and the current and future pupils of the school. I have first-hand knowledge of the difficulties being experienced at the primary school, which I have visited on a number of occasions. I have witnessed at first hand the difficulties being experienced. The school was built in the 1800s and was modernised to some extent in 1907. Since then it has served its purpose and has now outlived its usefulness.

I have described the difficult conditions in the school which affect both pupils and staff. In recent weeks, however, the principal has described a sinister incident which occurred in close proximity to the grounds of the primary school in Kilfinane. A person was seen photographing pupils attending the nearby secondary school and when questioned by a passerby, made his escape through the grounds of the primary school. This is a very worrying incident which is being investigated by the Garda Síochána and I hope there will be a successful outcome to the investigation. It is worrying in this day and age, both from the point of view of health and of safety, that pupils must go outside the confines of the school building to use outside toilets.

In March 2005 I led a deputation to meet the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Mary Hanafin, to make her aware of the condition of Kilfinane school. She immediately agreed that Kilfinane needed a new primary school. The various stages for the building of the new school have advanced through the years and it was hoped that this year the tendering phase would be reached. Unfortunately, this has not happened. I accept the Minister's word when she informed me recently that she has not yet agreed with the Minister for Finance her departmental estimate for next year's building programme. I expect she will have an estimate for the building programme. I appeal to her to allow Kilfinane advance to the tendering stage because it is a thriving town in south-east County Limerick with new houses coming on stream. A new school is needed both for the current and future pupils. I ask the Minister to give the green light for the next stage.

Photo of Dan NevilleDan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Cregan for sharing his time with me. I am delighted to have the opportunity to raise this matter on the Adjournment.

We are very concerned about some of the activity around Kilfinane school. It is also of concern that the school has outside toilets and that the children must cross the school yard, out of the view of the teachers, to use the toilets. Some worrying activity has recently taken place in the vicinity of the toilets.

Firm commitments were made in 2002 by a Fianna Fáil Minister that the school would be completed without delay. Again in this election year, commitments were made and accepted. A firm commitment was made that in January 2007 the school would be one of the 54 to proceed to tender within 12 months, that contractors were to be short listed and it would go to tender, and that construction would commence in January 2008. Two weeks ago, information was received that no certainty existed in this regard and that funds might be diverted to rapidly growing urban areas. This is a betrayal of children, teachers and parents. It condemns them to continue in unacceptable conditions as I outlined on several occasions in this House between 2002 and 2004. Children crossing a school yard in all weathers to use toilets that are not in view of the teachers is unbelievable and dangerous. A school constructed in 1888 with some upgrading in 1909 is unsuitable for teaching requirements in 2007. This has been accepted by the Department for the past ten years and the school should be built next year.

Photo of Mary WallaceMary Wallace (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I assure Deputy Neville that there is nothing in the response about funds being diverted. I do not know from where this information has come; it may be a rumour.

I thank Deputies Cregan and Neville for raising the issue and for giving me the opportunity of outlining to the House the Department's position regarding the provision of a new primary school at Kilfinane, County Limerick.

It is proposed to build a new six-classroom school including a general purpose hall and ancillary accommodation on a new green field site. The project is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The stage three submission, developed sketch scheme, has been recently approved and preparation of the stages four and five documentation, detail design and bills of quantities, is currently underway.

Under the national development plan, €4.5 billion has been assigned to the capital requirements of the primary and post-primary sectors. More than €540 million will be spent this year on school buildings. The level of construction alone in the primary and post-primary sectors in 2007 is such that it will deliver more than 700 classrooms to provide permanent accommodation for around 17,500 pupils.

The progression of all large-scale building projects from initial design stage through to construction phase is considered on an ongoing basis in the context of the Department's multi-annual school building and modernisation programme. The progression of Kilfinane primary school, as with all large-scale projects, will be considered in this context.

I assure the Deputies that the Department of Education and Science is committed to providing suitable high quality accommodation for Kilfinane at the earliest possible date.

The Dáil adjourned at 9.10 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 28 November 2007.