James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter today. From my conversations with the Minister in recent days, I know she is fully up to date with the funding shortfall currently being experienced by St.Mary's national school in Drumlish. I thank her for the commitment I received that she would be happy to meet the school principal at some stage next week to discuss the issue in greater detail. The number of pupils in St. Mary's has steadily increased in recent years and the school has an enrolment of 209 pupils for the 2015-2016 academic year. The Minister of State will agree that this is an exception to the current trend in Ireland and a clear testament to the vibrant community in the Drumlish area. It is particularly people like the principal, Ms Deirdre Coffey, former principal, the late Ms Elizabeth Brady, and the staff who have spearheaded the expansion and growth of the school in recent years. Meanwhile, the local community, children, parents, staff and board of management have a long tradition of fund-raising for the school when it has needed financial assistance. However, on this occasion the financial assistance required is a bridge too far for the local community.

The total grant aid allocated by the Department currently is approximately €1,200 per square metre whereas total building costs are in the order of €1,500 per square metre. As such, the school is currently falling short by €62,948. As the Minister of State can imagine, this is a substantial gap for a small rural school to try to close. At every stage of the process, the school and board of management have followed the procedures and guidelines set down by the Department and, in total, the school is set to receive €330,400 while total building costs are set at €393,348. This leaves a total shortfall of €62,948. If an outstanding grant of €23,500 is not approved, the shortfall will increase to €86,448. Yesterday, I received a reply to a number of parliamentary questions I asked regarding the securing of extra funding for St. Mary's. I was informed that it was open to the school authority to apply for additional funding but that, to date, no application had been received. While this is true, the school was in touch with the Department last week to raise the issue of the shortfall and it has asked for guidance on the matter. As of today, it has not received a reply. While departmental officials have been extremely helpful with the school at all times, some guidance from officials on how to apply for extra funding is needed. It is to be hoped this will be forthcoming.

I look forward to funding coming forward because this is a very rural school that is doing well with increasing numbers. It is important to ensure it is fully supported by the Department. The Government has supported a large number of schools in the midlands and we are opening three new ones in my constituency in the next week.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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And Mullingar Barracks.

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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That is something of which we can be justifiably proud. One of the schools will be the largest in the entire midlands, namely, Edgeworthstown national school, County Longford, which will have 28 teachers.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Listening to my constituency colleague, I might wonder what the point is in raising this Topical Issue if everything has been resolved, as nothing could be further from the truth. I met the board of management, the teachers and some parents a week ago. Like their children, they are worried about and confused by what is happening. There is a serious shortfall in the funding provided for an extension at St. Mary's school.

Deputy Bannon is right that the school's numbers have exploded from 145 pupils in 2007 to 209 this year. The school applied through the devolved grant system, met the full terms and conditions in a voluntary capacity and relieved the pressure on the Department by putting the project out to tender itself. Given the size of the extension, the additional classrooms and the extra support room, the school has incurred an additional cost due to the new building regulations, but the Government has not allocated enough money, only providing approximately €1,200 per square metre at a time when building costs amount to €1,500 per square metre. The fire officer who carried out the inspection identified a number of deficiencies in the current building. That it must be upgraded is only right and proper, but this work should be done when extensive renovations are being conducted.

The school chose the cheapest options in the construction and architect tender processes, but it has still found itself with a shortfall of almost €80,000. It is a DEIS school that serves many economically disadvantaged families. It cannot afford to meet the shortfall if the Government does not step up to the mark and make additional funding available.

I welcome the Minister's statement today that she will meet a deputation of the school's principal and some members of its board of management. That is positive, but the principal and board do not want to come to Dáil Éireann for a day trip. They want to come here next week to find out that the Government has made the necessary funding available in order that the board and parents will not be left to make up the €80,000 shortfall.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputies for raising this matter. In recent weeks, Deputy Bannon was in contact with the Minister and me in this regard. It is important we bring clarity to the situation. If there is any confusion, we will try to put it to bed. I will offer a formal answer, after which we can go through the details.

This debate gives me the opportunity to outline to the House the current position regarding the building project that is under way at St. Mary's national school in Drumlish, County Longford. In January 2014, the school submitted an application to my Department's planning and building unit for two new 80 sq. m mainstream classrooms and a resource room to cater for increased enrolments. In March 2014, following an assessment of the school's application, the school authority received sanction for a devolved grant under my Department's 2014 additional accommodation scheme to build two additional mainstream classrooms and an additional resource room. The grant was sanctioned on condition that the school authority utilise the grant to build a permanent, stand-alone structure.

Devolved grants allow school authorities the means to address their accommodation and building priorities with a guaranteed amount of funding and gives them day-to-day control of their building projects. It is a central tenet of the devolved scheme that responsibility for the management of a project, including cost control, timing of tendering and construction, rests with the school authority.

In September 2014, the school authority submitted an application for additional funding for a replacement boiler and an upgrade of its fire alarm system, emergency lighting and main electrical board. Additional funding was sanctioned for the costs associated with the boiler replacement and upgrade of the main electrical board. The costs in respect of the upgrade of the fire alarm system and emergency lighting were not approved, however, as these works were being carried out in the existing school building and were outside the scope of the approved project.

The planning and building unit was informed that building works commenced on site in August and the first instalment of the approved grant was paid to the school authority in early September 2015. If the level of funding provided by the Department is not sufficient to cover the cost of the approved works, it is open to the school authority to apply for additional funding, which is a common practice. However, if works are being carried out over and above the approved works, the cost of these must be met by the school authority.

The management authority of St. Mary's national school recently informed the planning and building unit that there was a shortfall in funding. In the coming days, the school will be requested to explain the reasons for this shortfall. On receipt of that information, my Department will be in a position to consider the request for additional funding. Obviously, there will be a time lag after the information comes forward. The process must be followed. A school submits the reasons for the increased costs and backs them up with evidence, after which time a decision can be made.

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. I do not play politics with students, teachers or boards of management as others do. I would also like-----

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy played politics with Army wives when the Government closed the barracks in Mullingar.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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One voice, please. Deputy Bannon should proceed.

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Acting Chairman.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Bannon was shouting about it outside the gates.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I am sorry Deputy-----

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The little man was in government for a long time and he wrecked this country.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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The Government closed the Army barracks in Mullingar.

Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour)
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Is there an election coming, lads?

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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So I believe, yes.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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-----but your turn will come in a moment.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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This is how Deputy Bannon behaved when he was in opposition.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Bannon to proceed without interruption.

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The funding system is flawed and out of sync with construction costs. When a small rural school faces a shortfall of €62,000, something is wrong with the system. As construction has started at the school and is moving along steadily, time is against the school and the community in Drumlish. It is important that we bridge the gap of €62,000 and secure the extension. I welcome the Minister of State's remarks to the effect that, if the level of funding provided by the Department is not sufficient to cover the cost of the approved works, it will be open to the school authority to apply for additional funding. I have every confidence in the Minister of State that the request will be considered favourably. I have dealt with a large number of schools in terms of funding shortfalls and so on.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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The Government closed the school in Ballycloghan.

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I have always found the Minister to be helpful and supportive in addressing shortfalls. I do not doubt that the same will be the case with St. Mary's school in Drumlish.

I thank the Minister of State for taking this debate. St. Mary's is an example of a rural school that is doing well and surviving in tough times. It should be held up as an example of how rural schools should be run. We should do everything in our power to support rural schools. I attended a rural school and have been proud of the rural school network.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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It is not too proud of Deputy Bannon.

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I compliment the schools' teachers.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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What about the school in Ballycloghan which the Government closed?

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I also compliment the board of management and staff of St. Mary's in Drumlish.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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What is important is that the Minister of State has acknowledged that the central tenet of the devolved scheme is that schools are responsible for the management of their projects, including cost control, timing of tendering, and so on. The board of management of St. Mary's adhered to the letter of the law in this regard, on which it should be complimented. The problem is that the funding that has been allocated on a square footage basis is inadequate. The school has been in constant contact with the building unit in Tullamore seeking additional funds.

I do not want to play politics with this matter. St. Mary's is a school in a DEIS area and cannot afford to meet the shortfall. I am not making this up. That there is a shortfall of almost €80,000 is a fact. If money is not made available, it will be left to parents, staff and the greater Drumlish area to make up the shortfall. This cannot happen.

Members must ensure this scheme, administered through the Department of Education and Skills, is fit for purpose, by which I mean the money allocated must meet the building costs. At present, €1,200 per square metre is being allocated, whereas building costs are coming in at €1,500 per square metre. As the two do not add up, the Department must revisit it. Moreover, in this particular instance the school has been in contact informally with the Department's school building unit in Tullamore and it must ensure that when the formal application is received, it is dealt with in a fast, efficient and, most importantly, positive manner to relieve the current anxiety in Drumlish.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I again thank both Deputies. To be clear, the Department's building and planning unit has proven itself to be fit for purpose in recent years. It has responded quite well and has a clear mission, which is to spend taxpayers' money correctly, wisely, fairly and equitably nationwide. Consequently, as the Deputy will appreciate, there must be a formal process. The unit has proved itself - I believe all Members have dealt with quite a number of cases over the years - and it can respond in the correct manner. The Deputy has indicated that the board of management has done the job correctly, with a good record and so on, and once a good record is in place and the school can prove that there has been a budget overrun and the reason for it, the Department and this unit always have shown the ability to do the job properly when a decision is to be made. However, Deputy Troy must appreciate that there must be a process. He is correct that there can sometimes be a timing difference between the allocation of money and the subsequent cost of building, but that must be shown clearly for the approved project. To be clear, I refer to the project that was approved; as the Deputy will appreciate, additional works are different. Hopefully this matter will be dealt with quite quickly. Information is going back and forth and the formal process is on the way but, in fairness, it is the unit's job to assess this matter and to deal with it properly. It will be helped if, as the Deputy noted, the board has done an excellent job in managing the devolved grant scheme. That scheme works well and has delivered many school projects in Counties Meath, Westmeath and Longford and everywhere else. It is a successful approach that works well. Most schools speak highly of it, and this is how it should be kept. The unit will respond accordingly to the information provided.