Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)
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Ba mhaith liom cúpla nóimeíd a ghabháil don rud uafásach. I wish to raise the matter of a site for Gaelscoil Chluain Meala in my home town in Tipperary. It is an important matter but it has proven very difficult, as there has been a long gestation period in the search for a new school for the community. This perilous position has persisted for almost 15 years. There is a wonderful school community, which includes the board of management, the parents' council and an excellent principal in Treasa Nic Dhiarmada agus na múinteoirí eile. It also includes pupils, caretakers and others.

There is a long history to the efforts to gain a site for this school. I have correspondence from as recently as 20 September 2007, when the then Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Mary Hanafin, indicated: "I absolutely appreciate how long the school (Gaelscoil Chluain Meala) has been in its current accommodation. I assure you that the Department will do all that we can to have a site for the school by the end of 2007". It is now October 2009 and we have seen no progress on this important issue for Clonmel and the surrounding area. A site has yet to be located and purchased. When the school was established it was initially given temporary status, and I thank South Tipperary County Council because it used an old county council building in Irishtown in Clonmel. That was over 14 years ago and the year after establishment, it was recognised as a viable establishment, even though it was in temporary accommodation, a position that has not changed since.

Teachers and pupils are in cramped and unsuitable conditions by any standard and in recent years, parents have been forced to fund-raise just to keep the doors open and look after the present school building in Irishtown, keeping it maintained and in a habitable condition. They also contribute to the rent to the county council. With a site still to be identified and negotiations yet to begin on getting it developed, teachers, parents and the public are extremely frustrated and disillusioned with the lack of advancement of this project to date. While I was a member of South Tipperary County Council I remember being party to a motion in 2006 relating to tract of land in Ballingarane. It is a great site overlooking Clonmel and incorporating Balingarane House. The management, however, refused to allow a national school to be built on that campus because it was of the view that it would not be proper for it to be co-located there with a third level institution.

We then considered every site available north and south of the River Suir. I compliment the board of management, Mr. Seán Carey and the principal of the school on their efforts to obtain a site. I also pay tribute to Professor Drumm and Mr. Brian Gilroy of the HSE who came up trumps in late 2007 by offering a three-acre site on the N24 outside Clonmel. Unfortunately, the waters were again muddied when the county manager decided to purchase the relevant lands from the HSE. However, that proposed sale did not, in fact, proceed. The site was held in abeyance in the intervening period and I have informed the county manager - who, I am sure, will not mind me taking his name in vain - of that fact.

I am extremely unhappy about this matter. In frustration, the board of management, the teaching staff and the parents' council came up with the idea of trying to retain the school at its current premises and to extend it into the old machinery yard that is located adjacent to it. I took a deputation to meet the Minister - I thank him for receiving us - and his officials to discuss this proposal. We thought it had met with a good reception. Unfortunately, however, bureaucracy has again got in the way. We are awaiting the arrival of an official to value the site in order that the Department can purchase it from the county council. It appears the latter is now intent on housing an arts centre for Clonmel on the same campus. I am in favour of such a centre being put in place but I do not want the resolution of the problem delayed any further. I appeal to the Minister and his officials to use their good offices to ensure the valuation is carried out in order that a deal might be struck with the county council. The site can then be purchased and we can move to proceeding with the various stages of the building process.

What has happened is extremely frustrating. I recall a line from the poem, Cill Chais, which runs "Cad a dheanamid feasta gan adhmaid?". The new line and motto we might use is, "Cá bhfuil ár Gaelscoil Chluain Mheala?"

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Mattie McGrath as ucht an cheist seo a ardú agus mo leithscéal leis as ucht go bhfuil mo dhroim á thaispeáint dó.

I am replying to this matter on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, who regrets that he cannot be present. I thank the Deputy for raising it because it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the House the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and also to outline the current position in respect of the future plans for Gaelscoil Cluain Meala, Cluain Meala, Contae Thiobraid Arann.

Modernising facilities in our existing building stock, as well as the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth, is a significant challenge. The Minister intends that it will be one of his priorities. The Government has dramatically increased capital investment in the school building programme to an unprecedented level. This reflects its commitment 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 throughout the country.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Office of Public Works, OPW, which acts on behalf of the Department in respect of site acquisitions generally, was requested to source a greenfield site for this gaelscoil. The OPW advised the Department that the Health Service Executive had formally conveyed its approval to dispose of a site for the gaelscoil. Officials from the Department met representatives of the local authority and the school authority in June of this year. On foot of those meetings, the Department is examining a number of options regarding the proposed site for the school. The further progression of the acquisition of this site and the accompanying building project will be considered in the context of the capital budget available to the Department for school buildings in general.

I again thank the Deputy for affording me the opportunity to outline to the House the current position in respect of to the future plans for Gaelscoil Cluain Meala, Cluain Meala, Contae Thiobraid Arann.