James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank the a Cheann Comhairle for affording me time to discuss this important motion, namely the need for the Minister for Education and Science to provide an update on the new school building for Loughegar national school, County Westmeath. Loughegar school first opened in 1872 and additional accommodation was added in 1934. Given the unsuitable condition of the original building, a new school was opened in October 1964 to accommodate the then roll of 69 pupils. The school amalgamated with Turin national school and a new school wing was added in 1971, consisting of two classrooms and a general purpose room. The school at that time had 122 pupils and four teachers.

Subsequently, due to an increased enrolment roll figure of 158 pupils, a fifth teacher was appointed in 1980. In compliance with the appointment and retention figures, as per Department of Education and Science circulars, a sixth teacher was appointed in 2001. Due to lack of space as the school was awaiting approval for a new school building, the board of management decided to utilise the old 1872 building for this new class on the understanding that it was rented to the Department pending the opening of the new school and that it was a strictly temporary measure.

It appears, however, that an "understanding" means as little to the Government as its pre-election promises. It will come as no surprise to the Minister of State that the classroom, built in 1872, is still in use today. Children in the 21st century are being accommodated in a 136-year-old building, which was deemed completely unsuitable for the education of children 44 years ago. It may not shock the Minister of State, but the health and safety implications certainly horrify me, the teachers and parents involved. The Minister of State should visualise this unbearable workplace scenario. Would he and his Government colleagues be happy to work in accommodation that has deteriorated to such an extent? Problems with rats mean that rat poison is spread and pest control monitors are permanently stationed in several classrooms. In addition, there are droppings from bats in the attic. The removal of asbestos used in the construction of the 1964 building and the new wing in 1971, resulted in the installation of a temporary ceiling, which is still in place. On windy days the ceiling squares are continually displaced and are warped and prone to condensation. The septic tank and sewers are overflowing into playing areas and the system is totally inadequate to support the current number of teachers, teaching assistants and pupils. There is a dangerous crack in one of the walls.

With an enrolment figure for the new 2008-09 school year of 173, the need for a new school at Loughegar is now more urgent than ever. On the basis of pupil numbers, Loughegar national school is entitled to employ a new teacher in September 2009, which will require the provision of another new classroom. This brings the school full circle, back to the situation that pertained in 2001. Logic dictates that this school, which has reached the final stage of the process with a contract in hand, must be allowed to proceed to tender. I am quite sure even this uncaring Government would not suggest that these pupils should be housed in an attic with bats.

In 1998, the Department decided that given the cost of an extension, a new school building was required by Loughegar school and it sanctioned this work. Then what has been described as a "code of silence" ensued under the Minister's predecessor, with the Department refusing to answer letters or take phone calls from the school. I am aware that the Minister met with representatives of the school this summer, but this meeting was an empty exercise with no positive outcome for Loughegar and no commitment to proceed with the building work.

Ten years is a long time to wait. The indisputable facts of this case are that the go-ahead for the building of the new school at Loughegar was given ten years ago, but there has been no follow through. The school now finds itself once again the victim of its own success, with rising pupil numbers and the appointment of a new teacher next year requiring another classroom. I am asking for a firm commitment to allow Loughegar to proceed with the building of its new school without further delay. The is a huge public demand for the new facility. There will be public meetings over the coming months to obtain the facts from the Department. I plead with the Minister of State not to allow that situation to continue and to permit the new school project to proceed forthwith.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Bannon for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the House the current position concerning Loughegar national school, County Westmeath. I am doing so on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science. Loughegar is a co-educational primary school catering for boys and girls from junior infants to sixth class. The enrolment, as of 30 September 2007, was 161 pupils. The school has a current staffing of a principal, five mainstream assistants and two learning support teachers. The plan for Loughegar national school is to construct a new six-classroom primary school on the existing site.

The school authority submitted an application to the Department for large-scale capital funding for a new school project in November 1998. The building project is at an advanced stage of architectural planning and a tender report was submitted to the Department in November 2007. A letter was issued to the school authorities at that time advising the school not to proceed further until departmental approval was given. As Deputy Bannon stated, the Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, had a meeting with a deputation from the school and local representatives in July this year, and he is acutely aware of the circumstances pertaining to this school.

The Minister explained to the House previously that all applications for large-scale capital funding are assessed in the Department against published prioritisation. Each project is assigned a band rating under these criteria, which reflects the type of works required and the urgency attaching to them. A band 2.2 rating has been assigned to the project for Loughegar national school, which reflects the fact that there is a deficit of mainstream accommodation.

On Monday last, 29 September, the Minister announced the next tranche of projects to progress through the school building programme, including five primary and two post-primary projects to prepare to go on site before the end of 2008, 12 primary and three post-primary projects to proceed to tender to go on site in the first half of 2009 and three primary schools to progress to application for planning permission and preparation of tender documents to allow the earliest possible date to site.

The Minister intends to make a further announcement in the first quarter of 2009 on major primary and post-primary school projects to proceed to construction. The school building project required for Loughegar will be considered in the context of the school building and modernisation programme for 2009. The Minister wishes me to assure you that the project will be progressed when the necessary resources are available to allow this to happen.

The Deputy will appreciate that the Minister must manage the Department's capital budget in a responsible manner and, in so doing, must ensure that funding is targeted at schools most in need. That is why the Department introduced prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects, which were formulated following consultation with the education partners.

Thousands of building projects were carried out under the previous national development plan to provide new and modernised educational infrastructure and thousands more will be carried out under the new NDP, but there has to be an order as to how this happens and a realisation that not all building projects can proceed together.

The extent of the demand on the capital budget is enormous, providing accommodation for new communities together with accommodation for the unprecedented number of extra teachers which the Government has put into the system. We also must modernise much of the existing stock as a result of the historic under-investment in it. This cannot all be achieved over night. We have made huge inroads and we will continue to build on our success under the previous national development plan when we delivered 7,800 building projects.

As the Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, has said, this must be done in an orderly and planned manner and on the basis of the most pressing need. Projects will be advanced incrementally through the system over time, consistent with the priority attaching to them. This approach is critical to ensuring that schools can know that their individual projects will be allowed to proceed, in order of priority, as and when funding allows.

The school building project at Loughegar national school is being considered in the context of the school building and modernisation programme. The Minister wishes me to assure Deputy Bannon that the project will be progressed when the necessary resources are available to allow this to happen.