James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for taking this important Topical Issue matter this afternoon, the purpose of which is to highlight the urgent need to provide two additional classrooms during the refurbishment of the existing school at St. Matthew's national school in Ballymahon, County Longford. Currently the school project involves major renovations of the old boys' four classroom school, with an additional four new classrooms, library, staffroom, four special tuition rooms, store and associated ancillary works - toilets included - and the doubling in size of the general purpose room and playing area.

The current project is at an advanced stage and it would make a lot of sense to have the additional accommodation provided now for a variety of reasons. The most important reason is from a health and safety point of view while the pupils are at alternative accommodation. It would also eliminate the provision of temporary additional prefabs to meet the needs of the school and avoid the board of management going down the devolved grant route. The Minister of State said that since this Government came to office, we have got rid of 45% of prefab buildings in our schools. To force the board of management of Ballymahon national school to go down this route would be a retrograde step, and perhaps the Minister of State would take note of that.

There is an urgency to provide these classrooms to facilitate the demand for places at the school caused by the increased population levels in the Ballymahon area of County Longford. There was a rural school a few years ago in Gurteen, just outside Ballymahon. When it closed the pupils from the area came into the town of Ballymahon. It is a rapidly expanding area with a population that has increased by more than one third in the last 15 years or so, according to the latest census figures, and is still rising as a result of increasing pressure for housing in the area due to being a satellite town for the city of Athlone. Families are moving into the town to accommodate the increasing overspill from Athlone. Property is cheaper in Ballymahon than it is in Athlone and that is enticing families to move to this town. Those houses are primarily occupied by young families, which leaves a much greater demand for school places in Ballymahon than was the case ten or even five years ago.

St. Matthew's national school is one of the main providers of primary education in the area and urgently needs these extra classrooms and other facilities. The building programme for this school has been the subject of many questions and representations by me since the early architectural stage was initiated when more than 200 pupils were accommodated in the old building. The current pupil numbers stand at 239, already qualifying for nine classes. I understand that extra prefabs have been approved by the Department and I also understand that there are 28 students enrolled for September even before enrolment day in March, which will bring it to a quota for ten classrooms. I also understand that the National Council for Special Education has identified the need for a special needs unit for south Longford at Ballymahon.

I compliment the board of management at the school in Ballymahon, under the stewardship of Sheelagh Canavan, as well as the principal, teachers and staff at the school for their work on this project to date. I have had great co-operation from them as a public representative for the area. It would make a lot of common sense, from a health and safety point of view, a security point of view and so on, to finish the project now that there is a contractor on site. It would be a retrograde step not to complete the project at this stage.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it affords me the opportunity to outline the position on the building project for St. Matthew's national school in Ballymahon, County Longford, in the context of the Government's overall strategy for capital investment in education projects over the next few years.

Decisions relating to meeting the accommodation needs of schools, including St. Matthew's, over the coming years must be considered in the context of the need for additional school places at both primary and post-primary level. I have previously outlined to the House the scale of the demographic growth in the school-going population which must be catered for under the five year construction programme to 2016 and subsequent years.

To meet this need, the Department must establish new schools as well as extending or replacing a number of existing schools in areas where demographic growth has been identified. The Department's overriding objective in identifying school building projects to progress to tender and construction is to ensure every child has access to a physical school place and that our school system is in a position to cope with increasing pupil numbers. To ensure this is achieved, the delivery of major school projects to meet significant demographic demands nationally will be the main focus for capital investment in schools in the coming years. The five year school building programme that the Minister, Deputy Quinn, announced in March 2012 is focused on meeting those demographic needs.

The school building project for St. Matthew's mixed national school was included in the Department's five year plan and was announced to progress to construction in 2012. The project encountered some delays initially but subsequently progressed to construction in May 2013. After the project began construction, the school authorities sought to change the brief by adding additional classrooms. There is always a considerable contractual risk in seeking to change the brief of a project once construction has begun. Following a review of the long-term requirements for St. Matthew's national school, it was agreed to provide additional accommodation, either by way of change order on the current contract or as a devolved grant. As two classrooms are required in the short term, with a further two likely to be required at a later stage, it was agreed to seek planning permission for four classrooms.

The additional accommodation sought by the school authorities equates to approximately 26% of the overall accommodation being provided. Given the advanced stage of the project on site, the proposal at this late post-contract stage of the project to add accommodation opens up considerable contractual risk and associated cost to both the school and the Department, as the funding authority. In light of this, the more appropriate means of delivering further accommodation at St. Matthew's national school is by way of devolved funding, under a separate contract.

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. It is not what I had hoped to hear in the response, but I would like to let him know that planning permission has been granted for 12 classrooms at this school. To proceed with the devolved scheme would greatly affect the development of the school, and there would be a loss of extended car parking space, a play area for children and so on if it were to go down this route after a 12 month period. The devolved scheme, under a new tender appointment, could only begin work after a period of 12 months in which a contractor is responsible for the current building. The delay would be unnecessary. The pupils are out of the school at the moment. They are in alternative accommodation and if the students were put back into the school, we the board of management would have to provide, with the assistance of the Department, security around the school while the two classrooms were being constructed.

This will have a knock-on effect of forcing the board of management to request the funding of temporary accommodation for the forthcoming academic year.

The Minister of State indicated it is Government policy to eliminate the use of prefabricated buildings. It does not make sense to waste money hiring or purchasing prefabricated buildings when the project could be completed while builders are on site. I plead with the Minister of State to ensure common sense prevails and the position is reviewed as quickly as possible. I ask that a meeting be arranged between the board of management of the school and the Department's building unit to try to advance this project.

The two temporary classrooms and additional special tuition prefabricated unit are to be located adjacent to a play area at the front of the new school building. This will have a negative visual impact on the building and will give rise to complaints and annoyance with the manner in which the Department operates. I ask that the Department take a common sense approach and allow the current contractor to complete the project in full.

I also acknowledge positive developments in the schools building programme. For example, the Department is building one of the finest schools in the midlands in Edgeworthstown. The construction project is at an advanced stage and the school will be the largest in the midlands when completed.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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The Department is most definitely adopting a common sense approach in dealing with matter. The Deputy suggested that a meeting be arranged with the board of management. A meeting with the board took place last August and there has been significant and ongoing communication with the board since then.

The architects and engineers working in the Department's building unit possess great wisdom, knowledge and experience. There is always a considerable contractual risk in seeking to change the brief of a project once construction has commenced. While it may have been possible to do so at an earlier stage, the works have reached an advanced stage. The timing of the application from the school authorities, the need to design the proposed changes, the current progress on site and the cost of the works present a considerable contractual risk to the board of management and it would not be wise to subject it to such risk. The option remains of progressing the application for two additional classrooms via a devolved grant. This approach is the most cost effective, low risk option for the school authority.