Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I wish to make an observation regarding the reform of Dáil procedure. It would be much more satisfactory if the Minister were to reply to the question first and the Deputies could question him or her on that rather than our stating our case and the Minister reading a statement.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I am sure the Deputy will make a submission to the reform committee.

Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I understand that point perfectly.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I will not count this as part of the Deputy's five minute slot.

Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The Leas-Cheann Comhairle is a good man. I am sure he will carry my observation about reform of procedure for the debate on the Adjournment to the powers that be because it would be far more satisfactory.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Deputy is now eating into his speaking time.

Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The community school for Clifden, the capital of Connemara, lies approximately half a mile out of town on the Ballyconnelly road. For the past ten years there has been a campaign running to replace the school. It caters for 432 pupils but was built to cater for 350 pupils. The original school building was 20,400 sq. ft., which was one sixth less than the standard required at that time. According to the engineer's report:

The school currently has problems relating to space, classrooms, circulation, the lack of social and dining areas for pupils, health and safety issues and staff accommodation, both social and professional. The school needs to be evaluated not only from the perspective of the physical structure, but also from the perspective of its educational adequacy.

It caters for a large area north west of Clifden, including Clifden, Cleggan, Claddaduff, Renville and almost as far as Leenane, and, to the west, Ballyconnelly, Roundstone, Tomboola, Cashel and Recess, which is on the east side of the school. That is a catchment area of approximately 22 square miles. An added problem facing the school is that the only other second level school in that area, Kylemore Abbey, is being phased out. It now caters only for fifth and sixth year students and will be closed in two years' time. This will increase the number of pupils attending the Clifden school.

I have followed this campaign closely for the past ten years. I have tabled several parliamentary questions, first on 28 February 2001 asking the then Minister for Education and Science "whether it would be better value for money to build a new school at an extra cost of £1.4 million and maintain the old building for other uses in the community". The then Minister, Deputy Michael Woods, told me he was looking into it. On 21 March 2006, the then Minister, Deputy Mary Hanafin, said: "The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning." On 29 April 2008, she said: "My Department recently approved the stage 3 submission for this project."

There are frequent public meetings in Clifden about the school and we get great value out of it. We held a public meeting before the 2002 election attended by the Minister, Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív, and Deputy Frank Fahey, who were then Ministers of State and have many connections with that area. I thought I would be canvassing the workers on the site before the election. We had a tremendous meeting before the 2007 election too, attended by 250 or 300 parents, in the school and I thought I would be knocked with bulldozers which we were told would move in straightaway.

Two years into the life of this Government, however, the building of the school seems to be as far away as ever. What is the situation about the provision for the school? Now is the hour for the Minister to act. Construction firms and workers are out of work. Now is the time to give people in an area of high unemployment, Clifden and north Connemara, an opportunity to work. Those people would far rather work than be on the dole. If the Government moved to sanction the building of this necessary second level school in Clifden, it would be opportune for everybody, parents, pupils, teachers and the construction industry workers around Clifden who would be glad to have jobs.

I hope I will not have to speak on the subject here again. I look forward to being at a meeting before the next election, which might come sooner than we think, and hope to get the bulldozers will be revved up. I hope I will not have to return to the next Dáil to ask that this school building be started.

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I am responding to the Deputy on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. I wish to thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity of outlining to the House the position of the Department of Education and Science regarding the provision of improved facilities for Clifden community school, County Galway.

All applications for capital funding are assessed in the modernisation and policy unit of the Department. The assessment process determines the extent and type of need presenting based on the demographics of an area, proposed housing developments, condition of buildings, site capacity etc., leading ultimately to an appropriate accommodation solution.

As part of this process, a project is assigned a band rating under published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects. These criteria were devised following consultation with the education partners. Projects are selected for inclusion in the school building and modernisation programme on the basis of priority of need. This is reflected in the band rating assigned to a project. In other words, a proposed building project moves through the system commensurate with the band rating assigned to it.

There are four band ratings overall, of which band one is the highest and band four the lowest. Band one projects, for example, include the provision of buildings where none currently exist, but there is a high demand for pupil places, while a band four project makes provision of desirable, but not necessarily urgent or essential facilities, such as a library or new sports hall. The proposed extension and refurbishment of Clifden community school has been assigned a band rating of 2.3.

The proposed extension and refurbishment project for Clifden community school is based on a long-term projected enrolment of 425 pupils. The current enrolment is 401 pupils, 383 mainstream pupils and 18 PLC pupils. The area of the proposed new accommodation amounts to 1,676 sq. m and includes general classrooms, two science laboratories, woodwork and construction studies room, technical graphics room, general purpose and dining area and other ancillary accommodation. It also includes some refurbishment work to the existing accommodation, the toilets area, metalwork room, home economics room and art and craft room.

The school authorities were informed on 11 January 2008 that the stage three, detailed design, for the project was approved but the project was not authorised to progress further at that time. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction is dependent on the prioritisation of competing demands on the funding available under the Department's capital budget. This project will be considered on an on-going basis in the context of the Department's multi-annual school building and modernisation programme.

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and point out that over the lifetime of the national development plan, NDP, the Government is providing funding of €4.5 billion for school buildings. This will be the largest investment programme in schools in the history of the State and it will enable the Department to ensure that school places are available where they are needed. This investment will allow the Department to continue the school building programme which commenced during the life time of the last NDP when well over €2.6 billion was invested in school development delivering, as it did, over 7,800 projects.

The allocation for school buildings in 2009 is €581 million. This represents a significant investment in the school building and modernisation programme. This level of funding for the building programme, at a time of great pressure on public finances, is a sign of the very real commitment of the Government to investing in school infrastructure and will permit the continuation of progress in the overall improvement of school accommodation.

The Minister for Education and Science is committed to providing suitable high quality accommodation for Clifden community school at the earliest possible date. However, in light of current economic circumstances, and with competing demands on the capital budget of the Department, it is not possible for the Minister to give an indicative timeframe for the further progression of this project at this time. I thank the Deputy once again for raising this matter.

Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Is it an extension or a new school? I thought there was to be a new school, but now the Minister of State is talking about a proposed extension or refurbishment. That script does not——

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I will undertake to clarify that.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this matter on the Adjournment. I am very disappointed that I am here again tonight. I have raised the issue of this particular school on many occasions. The school is in existence for ten years. It has 11 permanent staff and 200 pupils, with a waiting list to get into the school.

Before the general election in 2007, the school management was led to believe by the former Minister for Education and Science that a new school would be sanctioned, the sod would be turned before Christmas, and that the pupils would be in that school for 2008. A few years ago, before the local elections, the then Minister, Deputy Michael Woods, visited the local schools. He sang an Abba song at one school called "Money, Money, Money", but he did not come up with the money at the time, and he let down the school at Westport Quay. He led us to believe that Gaelscoil na Cruaiche in Westport would be the priority. When will the funding be sanctioned for that school? When are the parents going to know that their children are going to be taught in a new school? It is not fair on the teachers, it is not fair on the pupils and it is not fair on the school. We are paying more money on prefabs and this is costing a fortune.

There has been much talk recently about the school bond scheme, where somebody with the resources can do a deal with the Government to build these schools. If the Government has not got the funding, it should get a builder to build the school and it can then buy it back from him. What is happening is not right. Before the last general election, Fianna Fáil led everybody to believe that the school would be up and running this year. It is not right to have teachers working or pupils educated in these conditions.

When can we expect an announcement regarding the new school? When can we expect the funding to be put in place? When can we see the bulldozers? There had been difficulties with the site but planning permission has been secured and everything is in place. What is needed now is approval from the Department. It is not fair to mislead the public. People were expecting the construction of the school to start last year and to be in the school this year. What is the up to date position? Is there any hope that the school will start this year?

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I am responding to the Deputy on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science. I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity of outlining to the House the position of the Department on the provision of a new school building for Gaelscoil na Cruaiche in Westport, County Mayo. Improving facilities in the existing building stock, as well as the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth, is a significant challenge which the Minister for Education and Science has identified as one of his top priorities.

Gaelscoil Na Cruaiche is a co-educational Gaelscoil serving the town of Westport and its environs. The school opened in September 1996 with provisional recognition and was granted permanent recognition in 2000. The school is currently located in temporary accommodation which is funded by the Department. The school is staffed by a principal, eight mainstream assistants, one learning support teacher and one resource teacher, and has an enrolment of over 200 pupils in the current academic year.

The brief for this project entails the construction of a new ten classroom primary school. The project for the proposed new school has been progressed by the Department and is now at an advanced stage of architectural planning. A site has been secured and planning permission for the proposed new school has been obtained. However, it is not possible to progress all projects to construction at the same time. The progression of all large-scale building projects from initial design stage through to construction is dependent on the prioritisation of competing demands on the funding available under the Department's capital budget. The further progression of this project will continue to be considered in the context of the Department's multi-annual school building and modernisation programme.

The allocation for school buildings in 2009 is €581 million. This represents a significant investment in the school building and modernisation programme. This level of funding for the building programme, at a time of great pressure on public finances, is a sign of the very real commitment of the Government to investing in school infrastructure. Under the lifetime of the current national development plan, almost €4.5 billion will be invested in school buildings. 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. This investment will facilitate the provision of new schools and extensions in developing areas and the improvement of existing schools through the provision of replacement schools, extensions or large scale refurbishments. It builds on the delivery of 7,800 building projects under the last national development plan which resulted in the delivery of new schools and the refurbishment of many existing schools.

I assure the Deputy that the Minister for Education and Science is committed to providing suitable high quality accommodation for Gaelscoil na Cruaiche at the earliest possible date. However, in light of current economic circumstances, and with competing demands on the capital budget of the Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of the project at this time. I again thank the Deputy for raising this matter.