Dáil debates
Wednesday, 24 May 2017
Priority Questions
Schools Building Projects Status
3:10 pm
Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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30. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for the delay in the refurbishment of a location (details supplied) to enable it to accommodate a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24579/17]
Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to ask the Minister for Education and Skills to outline the reasons for the delay in the refurbishment of the former St. Mary's national school in Patrick Street, Trim, so as to enable it to accommodate the new Trim Educate Together national school at this campus. The process has now been ongoing for some three years. The current enrolment for the school is going to rise to 60 pupils in September which is a very healthy start-up context. Could the Minister outline what is the hold-up in the refurbishment of the school?
Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Cassells for raising this issue. I wish to advise him that it is my Department's intention to relocate the school in question to St. Mary's national school in Patrick Street, Trim, to meet the school's permanent accommodation needs.
The property in question transferred to the Minister's ownership last year. This building is a listed structure that requires extensive refurbishment to make its facilities fit for modern school purposes. In that regard, a significant financial investment will be required and that has to be considered within the overall available capital envelope. I am not, therefore, in a position at this stage to indicate when the refurbishment works will be undertaken. My Department will be in further contact with the patron when any further update is available.
In the interim period, my Department will be making arrangements to extend the school's current lease on its temporary premises until June 2018.
Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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When the school was initiated the parents were told that their children would be in temporary accommodation for the first year only. The school community is now facing into its fourth school year at the Glebe golf club on the Kildalkey Road, where it is currently housed, despite the divestment process having been concluded last year. The parents were told the refurbishment would take 14 weeks but as the Minister outlined no work has been carried out and the board of management has exhausted all efforts in trying to seek clarification in respect of the situation.
The parents understand that the section of the Department that approves the funding is now refusing to provide the money for the refurbishment as it believes it is too costly and it is in an internal disagreement with the section in the Department which sanctioned the old convent school building. It would have made more sense to check the cost and feasibility of the location, which is beside three other schools, before sanctioning it as a new school.
The current location is hindering enrolment numbers, which is restricting staff growth because the golf club is located on a country road, the Kildalkey Road, and there are no footpaths or infrastructure. The situation is limiting the school choice for many parents in Trim, which as the Minister is aware is a growing town and people are looking for choices such as Educate Together. The school will reach its full capacity by next year. What the Minister has outlined is very disappointing given the context of what has been provided in information to the parents who were told it would be a 14-week refurbishment period.
Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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It does seem that the issue at the heart of the matter relates to the complexity of the refurbishment of a listed structure. I understand the Deputy's concern if the current location is not satisfactory for parents. However, my Department will have to be satisfied that the investment represents the best value for money and is the best solution for parents and children in the longer term. I will bring the concern raised by the Deputy to the attention of the officials in terms of the school's progress being hampered in its current location. I know Trim well but I do not know the precise status of the individual buildings concerned and what the level of refurbishment is that is a cause of concern. However, I will ask that the situation be reviewed in light of what the Deputy has said.
Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister is correct that the situation is not satisfactory. The school is in a golf club on the Kildalkey Road, which as he knows is a country road. There are no footpaths and the school is located a couple of miles from the town. The school will have 60 pupils this September.
I am pleased the Minister will bring the matter to the attention of the officials because one of the biggest bugbears has been the lack of communication between the Department and Trim Educate Together national school about what has been happening, especially as we were advised that it would be a 14-week refurbishment period.
My office was in contact with the principal, Karen Reilly, yesterday and she said that if a parent of a prospective pupil asks how long the school will be in the temporary accommodation and when it will be able to move into the new permanent school that she would not be able to answer the question. The school was under the impression as well that funding would be provided through the redress scheme for the development of the school site. The bottom line is that there is a campus available in the town that is ready to go and which provides the necessary campus facilities for a growing town centre.
That is where the people are, that is where the town centre is, and that is where Trim Educate Together wants to be. Being out a country road a couple of miles in a golf club is not a satisfactory situation for the parents, the children and the staff who want to educate their children in the Trim Educate Together school. There may be a bit of a misunderstanding with the redress scheme. This was offered by a religious order as part of its contribution to the general redress scheme. It does not mean that a redress fund is available to upgrade the school. It was a contribution by the order to meet some of the commitments it made to contribute to the cost of redress. The works involved in this particular location appear to be more complex than was first envisaged. I will, however, bring the concern to the attention of my officials and I can see the point the Deputy is making.