Dáil debates
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
Industrial Disputes
Schools Building Projects.
12:00 pm
Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for selecting this important local matter for discussion on the Adjournment. Everyone associated with Shanbally National School was deeply disappointed that the school was not included in the recent announcement by the Minister for Education and Science concerning the schools building programme. That disappointment must be understood in the context that the application for the extension was initially made to the Department in June 2001.
Shanbally National School is currently operating on a site of approximately 1.65 acres. It is an old school building with a number of portakabins on the site. The original building was developed in 1964 as a three-teacher school. The school currently has eight main-stream classrooms, as well as a special speech and language class. Some 220 pupils attend the school, but the vast majority of those have to attend classes in the portakabins. The main building accommodates just three mainstream classes, a school office and a general purpose room. The remaining five mainstream classes, as well as the special speech and language class, currently operate in nine portakabins on the site.
I wish to highlight the costs involved in this case. The annual rent for the portkabins is about â¬100,000 which is a significant sum for an eight-classroom school. I acknowledge that the Minister has made good progress nationally in reducing the costs associated with renting temporary portkabins on school sites. However, he should examine this case in Shanbally where that annual investment of â¬100,000 could be put to better use by providing a permanent extension to the school building, which is what is required. The school has a band of 2.2 which needs to be upgraded. The key issue is that Shanbally should be recognised as a developing area, given its proximity to Carrigaline where I live. It is a large and expanding satellite town. In recent times, local schools have been under some pressure to accommodate the number of children coming through the system.
Enrolment at Shanbally has doubled since 2000 when it had only 126 pupils. That growth has been entirely predictable, given the level of development in Carrigaline and the spillover effect which has reached Shanbally National School. I wish to highlight the comparison with other schools in the area. For example, Ballygarvan is deemed to be a developing area and it, too, has a similar mixture of pupils from the village of Ballygarvan itself, as well as pupils from Carrigaline. In the case of Shanbally, the Department has agreed with the long-term projected enrolment so that it will remain a school of eight mainstream classes.
The school has submitted its own proposal whereby a builder would construct the extension and lease it back to the Department over a 24-year period. That design work was completed by O'Shea Leader consultants. The Minister for Education and Science is familiar with this school, having represented the constituency for a long time. He has advanced a number of other projects in the constituency.
Shanbally is a very deserving case. I pay tribute to Mr. Liam Shanahan, the principal, and his staff, for working in difficult conditions. I hope the Minister will find a suitable avenue to advance this essential project, whether it be through the permanent accommodation scheme or the capital building programme.
Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I am happy to reply on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, who, unfortunately, cannot be present. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the Dáil the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects.
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 Government has shown a consistent determination to improve the condition of our school buildings and to ensure that the appropriate facilities are in place to enable the implementation of a broad and balanced curriculum. All applications for capital funding are assessed by 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 1 is the highest and band 4 the lowest. Band 1 projects, for example, include the provision of buildings where none currently exists, but there is a high demand for pupil places, while a band 4 project makes provision of desirable, but not necessarily urgent or essential facilities, such as a library or new sports hall.
Due to industrial action on the part of some staff in the Department of Education and Science, I am not in a position to give full details of the school referred to by the Deputy. However, the school's application is listed on the Department of Education and Science website with a band 2 rating. Furthermore, as the Deputy will be aware, on 16 February last, the Minister for Education and Science made an announcement regarding a total of 52 projects which are to proceed to tender and construction. Some 25 of these projects have already secured planning permission and have been approved to proceed to tender and construction this year. The remaining projects have not yet secured planning permission. When they have secured this planning permission, they will then be in a position to prepare their tender documents and proceed to tender and construction, either later this year or in 2011. The project for the school in question was not included in this announcement.
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 in the context of the Department's multi-annual school building and modernisation programme. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and wish him luck.