Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Penrose, and I look forward to a positive reply. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for giving me an opportunity to raise this issue. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the issue of Abbeystrewry national school in Skibbereen, in the constituency of Cork South-West. As Members are no doubt aware, for some time now the school has been campaigning to secure funding from the Department of Education and Skills to help it to settle outstanding debts that arose from renovation works that were carried out recently. The school is seeking a contribution of any size from the Department to help it to bridge the €80,000 deficit it incurred over the course of construction works. Abbeystrewry national school is a Church of Ireland-run school which also absorbs Methodist congregations. It accepts children of other denominations. For this reason, the school is held in high regard locally. It is renowned for consistently producing high achievers and good results and pupil numbers have been increasing as a consequence. The school has 96 pupils, four full-time teachers and four resource teachers.

The Department has been extremely generous to the cause of the school in the past. Not very long ago, it sanctioned funding which enabled the school to construct two additional classrooms on the campus. Such extra accommodation was required because the school's pupil numbers had increased substantially. The management of the school recently decided to construct an astroturf pitch and sought to fund the facility independently. The pitch was formally opened in recent times and is a wonderful addition to the school campus. The school authorities envisage that local organisations could rent the pitch for sporting purposes, which would help to gradually offset the cost incurred. I understand that finances are extremely limited at present. There has been a very significant clampdown on what can and cannot be spent. It is with that reality in mind that I make the case for funding from the Department. Regardless of how small such a contribution might be, it would be important in offsetting the costs associated with the construction project I have mentioned and would be appreciated in these fiscally constrained times. The existence of external factors, such as the presence of the IMF, mean we do not have as much funding available to us as would have been the case in the recent past.

I appeal to the Minister of State, Deputy Penrose, to support this request for funding for educational infrastructure. He is well aware from his own area that one of the benefits of such investment is that it is repaid to the State time and again. In the current climate, one cannot classify any euro of investment in a school as a bad investment. It offers dividends such as raising the standards of educational attainment in the area and providing the infrastructure necessary to equip young students with knowledge and practical experience of curricular and non-curricular subjects. We hope that when the upturn comes and our young people enter or re-enter the workforce, they will be high earners and pay tax to the Exchequer at a higher rate. The benefit of that will be felt for a long time.

I ask the Minister of State to show solidarity with this project. There will always be a number of schools in various areas that are looking for funding for capital works and access to the summer works scheme, for example. The repair scheme that was announced today under the jobs initiative is a welcome development. It shows there is a recognition at departmental level of the undoubted deficits in our educational infrastructure. In fairness to the Government, it has made a commitment in this area as a major plank of the jobs initiative, which aims to stimulate jobs and growth in the economy. If we invest in this area, not only will we help to bridge the infrastructural deficit, but we will also provide funding to the construction sector, which has been badly affected by the events of recent years. If the local construction economy is to be rebooted, it needs a shot in the arm from the Government. The economy of west Cork, for example, would have been very much plugged into the construction activities of recent years. There are sufficient construction skills in the area. It is obvious that there are unseen levels of unemployment, by comparison with the Celtic tiger years.

If we create employment and give work to people who are currently on social welfare, there will be a wider benefit to society. When lost taxation and social welfare payments are taken into account, every job that is lost costs the State approximately €20,000. The request I am making is for a marginal contribution to be made in that context. I hope the Minister of State, Deputy Penrose, will look favourably on the request.

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and giving me an opportunity to outline to the House the position of the Department of Education and Skills regarding the allocation of funding for Abbeystrewry national school near Skibbereen in County Cork. In July 2008, the Department introduced the additional accommodation scheme, which gives schools with an urgent and pressing need for additional accommodation that is likely to last for more than three years the option of using a devolved grant to purchase prefabricated classrooms or construct permanent classrooms. A central tenet of the scheme is that responsibility for the management of a project, including cost control, rests with the school authorities. Schools are informed of this in their approval letters.

In March 2010, Abbeystrewry national school was approved funding of €130,000 under the additional accommodation scheme to enable it to provide an extension consisting of an 80 sq. m. mainstream classroom and a 25 sq. m. resource room. In July 2010, the school authorities wrote to the Department to ask for additional funding for a staffroom and a corridor, which were needed because of increasing staff numbers. Following an examination of the school's application, the Department advised the school authorities that as the additional accommodation scheme is designed to cater for immediate and urgently needed classroom accommodation, it was not in a position to approve the school's request for ancillary accommodation. In August 2010, the school authorities again wrote to the Department to request further additional funding for ancillary works associated with the building project. The Department advised the school authorities that funding was not available for these works for the reasons that had been outlined in previous correspondence. The school appealed the Department's decision, providing detailed drawings and maps of the schools extension, in support of its appeal.

When the school's application was being reassessed, it emerged that the school had changed the scope of works for which the funding had originally been approved. The Department advised the school authorities that the appeal was unsuccessful and that it was satisfied that the grant provided was sufficient to provide the level of accommodation originally approved. The management authorities of Abbeystrewry national school were advised that the building works carried out were over and above those approved and, therefore, the onus was on the board of management to fund the costs of the extra works. Between 2006 and 2010, the school received over €327,000 in funding under the summer works scheme for roof works, replacement of windows, electrical upgrade and tarmac. Further funding for sewerage works was recently approved under the summer works scheme 2011.

I am sure the Deputy will appreciate there are many competing demands on the Department's capital resources. In this context, it must prioritise applications for the provision of much needed additional classroom accommodation. A total of €383 million will be spent under the Department's schools building programme this year. In the current economic climate, it is essential that costs are kept under control in the construction of school buildings and that those responsible ensure value for money is achieved for the taxpayer. In this way, the Minister can ensure the maximum number of projects are completed from within the funds available for the schools building programme. I thank the Deputy again for giving me an opportunity to outline the current position to the House.