Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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125. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the failure to lodge a planning application on time for a temporary building for a school (details supplied) in Dublin 15, given that children in the school have started the school year in a gymnasium without natural light, adequate ventilation, or a play area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34033/15]

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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I ask the Minister about another school provision in the west Dublin area, this time in regard to Ashtown. As the Minister knows, Ashtown has become a much bigger community now, with many new homes. Does the Minister believe it is appropriate that children will go down two flights of stairs in a gym to attend a school with no natural light, ventilation or play area? It seems the reason for that is that the Department of Education and Skills failed to lodge the planning application and make the necessary protocols for a temporary building. Can the Minister explain that?

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The school referred to by Deputy Coppinger opened in September this year in interim accommodation, which everyone agrees is not satisfactory accommodation; that is why it is interim.

Following pre-planning discussions with the relevant planning authority, my Department lodged a planning application in April this year with a view to facilitating the new school coming into operation from this September. However, the planning process was protracted, even after we had pre-planning at an early stage. A request for additional information from the local authority relating to drainage and infrastructural improvements was received, which substantially extended the planning timeframe. As the Deputy will appreciate, the planning process is outside of my Department's control. As I said, we engaged proactively with the pre-planning process at the first opportunity in this planning application.

I am pleased to confirm that final grant of planning permission in this case was received on 17 September. A contractor has been appointed and the school will move from its interim accommodation to this new accommodation as soon as the necessary works to make this accommodation suitable for a school have been completed, which looks to be on schedule for mid-November.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Can the Minister clarify if the children will be out of this dungeon, effectively, in November as Educate Together was promised? The only reason parents gave this a shot was because they felt they had no choice. There were other alternatives including busing children to Blanchardstown or Castleknock, but parents decided to have a little faith and go with this option. They are not waiting to move into a permanent school building; that would take a long time. There is meant to be a temporary school building. Will that be ready? Will they be out of this building in November or is the Minister seriously expecting children to stay in one of these basements of a gym, which had to be subdivided and had to have toilets put in?

This problem boils down to misplanning. The Rathborne area was developed over many years; it was planned for years. It was known that people would have children and that those children would need a school, and Ashtown Educate Together was deemed to be necessary by the Department for many years. Can the Minister clarify if the parents have to wait for the permanent building he mentioned to be built or will they be moved to a more suitable, appropriate temporary dwelling?

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy knows well that they will not because the contract for the temporary school was signed for three years. She knows that. The site will be ready in mid-November. The contractors have been appointed and they will move from that temporary accommodation, which is not satisfactory, in mid-November as planned and agreed. The Department went to councillors in the area.

The area has suffered from bad planning - that much is correct - and has done for many years, mainly under previous Administrations, I am keen to point out yet again.

To be clear, Department officials viewed the site for this temporary building for the next three years in February this year. On 24 March, Department officials held a pre-planning meeting with officials in Dublin City Council to discuss the proposed planning application for the conversion of the building to a temporary school that would be satisfactory for the next three years. The Department's consultant architect had further discussions before the planning application with officials in the traffic and drainage section of the local authority in the context of making a planning application. On 7 April, the Department received confirmation from the landlord and secured approval in principal for a three-year lease for a temporary school as well as approval to lodge a planning application. The planning application was lodged less than two weeks later on 24 April. The local authority subsequently returned a request for additional information relating to drainage, provision of footpaths and a pedestrian crossing. This was after we held a pre-planning meeting with the local authority in March. It delayed the application, but planning permission was granted initially on 12 August and fully granted on 17 September. Things are moving now for mid-November and the project is on track.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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What this points up is the need for a total change in planning in this country. Every community that I have ever been involved with has had to campaign, lobby, hold public meetings and get petitions to get a school. We need to end this fiasco once and for all.

Will the Minister commit to amending section 4 of the Planning Act, which does not state that schools are a necessary part of a community? There is no requirement to provide schools when a community is being planned. This has to stop completely. Sites must be identified along with a clear structure for how the schools are to come about.

I gather the previous regime involving Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats refused to change the system, but it is up to the Government parties now, especially if they are going to carry on into the next regime. Obviously, they probably will not do so under their current guise. Anyway, will the Minister commit to amending the Planning Act in order that people do not have to campaign? This is not rocket science. People move into homes and some years later they will probably have children and need a school.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Coppinger will probably never admit it, but this Administration has changed the system. There is a structure in place now. The structure Deputy Coppinger has called for in respect of the provision of sites is already in place at local authority level.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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There is no requirement for school planning.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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That is why, in the past three or four years, we have managed to deal with the majority of demand for primary school places. The situation was at crisis point. Under the last five-year plan, which will finish next year, and new plans to come out in the months ahead, the urgency of providing places in primary education has been more or less matched and dealt with, and rightly so. We are moving on now to ensure we have the same solutions for secondary places. This Administration has dealt with the matter. It has dealt with local authorities and put in place a new structure that should have been in place years ago. I fully agree with Deputy Coppinger on that point.

There had been complete and utter failure in county planning. We have corrected that as best we can and as quickly as we can in our short few years in government, and we hope to continue with this reform in our next phase in government. I do not believe everyone shares Deputy Coppinger's view that this Administration will not be back to continue the good work in education.