Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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The matter I am discussing also involves a school and I hope I have better news than my colleague, Deputy O'Shea, who received a slightly unsatisfactory reply to his matter. No doubt he will be successful in the long run.

Almost 14 years ago, Gaelscoil Bharra, a primary school, was established in prefabs and left there. It applied for recognition and permanent accommodation but heard nothing. Two generations of school children have passed through these prefabs. We know what primary school prefabs are like. They are wet, cold, dank and musty. The toilets overflow and sewage comes out in the yard. They are miserable. They are hot in the summer and cold in the winter. This is how we cherish the children of the Cabra area who are endeavouring to get their education through the official language of the country. This is not good enough.

It seemed that eventual success would come prior to the election in 2002 when the parents and board of management decided to conduct a major rally in Parnell Square. The then Taoiseach persuaded them that such public action would not be necessary and delivered what seemed to be a solemn commitment to them that the school would be constructed during the next term of office if his Government was re-elected. Nothing happened during the subsequent five years and nothing has happened in the 18 months since the most recent election.

The school remains in the same appalling condition and there is no sign of light on the horizon. The excuse made by the Department was that the existing site was too small and that it would seek to identify a site elsewhere. It employed the OPW to look for a site. This went on for years. Now it has agreed at last to go back to the drawing board, which had been suggested years ago, to examine the existing site and get an extension on it from the GAA club which occupies the same ground, all of which is leased from the local authority.

Under a great deal of pressure, the Department has decided to begin to consult with the GAA and the local authority. However, it is not consulting with them together in a collective fashion. The last I heard from the Department was that it had made proposals to the local authority on the matter. What are these proposals? How binding and significant are they? Will the Department negotiate a lease with the local authority for the site and then confirm that it will build a school?

We need a round-table meeting whereby the local authority, the Department of Education and Science, the GAA club, the board of management, the parents' association and the staff can all sit down and find out what is happening, when it will happen and what commitment we have from the Department of Education and Science to proceed with the construction of the school. I hope the Minister of State has good news for the people of Cabra.

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, as it provides me with an opportunity to outline to the House the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and also the current position on future plans for Gaelscoil Bharra, Cabra. The Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, wishes to clarify that modernising facilities in our existing building stock, as well as the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth, represent a significant challenge. He intends this challenge to be one of his priorities.

The Government has dramatically increased investment in the schools building programme to almost €600 million this year. During the lifetime of the national development plan almost €4.5 billion will be invested in schools. This is an unprecedented level of capital investment which reflects the commitment of the Government to continue its programme of sustained investment in primary and post-primary schools. It will underpin a particular emphasis on the delivery of additional school places in rapidly developing areas while continuing to develop the Government's commitment to delivering improvements in the quality of existing primary and post-primary accommodation. It will also enable the purchase of sites to facilitate the smooth delivery of the schools building programme, again with the focus on site requirements in rapidly developing areas.

Turning to the specific matter in hand, the Office of Public Works, OPW, which acts on behalf of the Department in site acquisitions generally was requested to source a greenfield site for this gaelscoil. However, on foot of advertising, no proposals were received for a greenfield site in the Cabra area. Further to this, the OPW was requested by the Department to look into building a permanent school on the existing temporary site. In order to pursue this further, meetings have taken place between the Department and Dublin City Council regarding the potential availability of this site. The Department has written to the council with a proposal suggesting a lease arrangement be put in place. A response is awaited. When the Department has received that response, it will be in a position to consider the next steps. It will continue to liaise with stakeholders.

The further progression of the acquisition of the site will be considered in the context of the capital budget available to the Department for school buildings generally. The Minister is not in a position to say at this stage when the acquisition will be concluded.