Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter for the Adjournment debate. On 7 March 2008, together with other public representatives, I visited St. Joseph's national school, Bonniconlon, County Mayo, to meet the board of management and its chairman, as well as the teachers, parents and pupils, regarding the school's condition. It is not right that parents are obliged to bring their children to such a substandard school, in which a health and safety issue exists. Moreover, it is not right to have teachers trying each day to teach children in a professional manner in such poor conditions. I was highly disappointed that no announcement was made in recent weeks in respect of this school, which has been waiting for a long time for funding from the Department of Education and Science. As long ago as 2000, the school was obliged to raise funds for itself. Although the Department has spent more than €54,000 on architects' fees, to date there is no sign of either the funding or the approval for a new school.

In recent years, the Government had an opportunity to provide such funding when money was plentiful. If the Department does not have the requisite funding and is not prepared to undertake this project, it should try to attract investors who would be prepared to build a school and to do a deal with the Department by selling the school back to it. It is not right to have children, parents or teachers operating in such conditions. I have visited the school. I call on officials from the Department of Education and Science and the Minister to inspect the school. It is not right to have parents and children in such conditions. Given the current economic climate, it is important to stimulate employment in County Mayo and throughout the State. We need this type of investment in our education facilities. As well as providing badly needed school educational facilities, it would help the local community by creating employment. St. Joseph's national school is part of the delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, programme. Its pupils and teachers are further disadvantaged by the conditions in which they are obliged to learn and work.

I hope the Minister of State will not merely deliver the standard reply from the Department of Education and Science. Instead, I hope there will be an announcement, if not tonight then in the coming weeks, that the construction of this school will be put to tender and the necessary funding provided so that the area will receive the school it has sought for years. It is unacceptable that an area that has suffered disadvantage for many years should not receive its share of the national cake. This community is entitled to a new school.

I ask the Minister of State to present this case to the Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. It is not the largest school in the State but it is of great importance for the pupils, teachers and local community. The working conditions are unacceptable, the building being rat infested at one time. There is a health and safety issue to be addressed. I call on the Minister and the Government to provide the necessary funding for a new school in Bonniconlon.

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am replying to this matter on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. I thank the Deputy for raising this issues as it allows me to outline the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and to explain the current position in regard to the school to which the Deputy refers.

The modernisation of facilities in existing building stock and the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth represent a significant challenge. The Government has shown a consistent determination to improve the condition of school buildings and to ensure the appropriate facilities are in place to enable the implementation of a broad and balanced curriculum. The emphasis, however, will continue to be on new schools and extensions to provide additionality in rapidly developing areas.

All applications for capital funding are assessed in the planning and building unit of my 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 and so on, 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 schools 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, 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 exists but there is a high demand for pupil places, while a band four project makes provision for desirable but not necessarily urgent or essential facilities, such as a library or new sports hall.

In the case of St. Joseph's national school, Bonniconlon, the brief is to provide accommodation for a long-term projected staffing of a principal and two mainstream class teachers plus ancillary accommodation. The project, which was assigned a band rating of 2.2, is at an advanced stage of architectural planning and planning permission has been received. However, given the competing demands on my Department's capital budget, it is not possible at this stage to be precise about when this project will go to construction.

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 my Department's capital budget. These projects will be considered in the context of the Department's multi-annual schools building and modernisation programme. The allocation for school buildings in 2009 is €581 million. This represents a significant investment in the schools building and modernisation programme. This level of funding, at a time of great pressure on public finances, is a sign of the Government's commitment to investing in school infrastructure and will permit the continuation of progress in the overall improvement of school accommodation. Under the recovery plan announced recently by the Taoiseach, a further €75 million has been allocated to the schools building programme for 2009.

I thank the Deputy again for affording me the opportunity to outline the current position regarding the school building project for St. Joseph's national school.