Dáil debates

Tuesday, 27 February 2018

Topical Issue Debate

Schools Building Projects Status

6:35 pm

Photo of Pat GallagherPat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The next Topical Issue is in the names of Deputies O'Broin and Curran. Deputy O'Broin has two minutes.

Photo of Eoin Ó BroinEoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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Last September, myself, Deputy Curran and a number of other Deputies raised the issue of the urgent need for a new school building for Scoil Mochua in Clondalkin, a special needs school for children with multiple and severe disabilities. One of the significant things about that Topical Issue was we were not coming as a group of constituency Members lobbying for our own constituency.

This school serves a very wide catchment area, not just central and west Dublin but also the counties of Meath, Kildare and elsewhere. The school has 74 pupils. Having been to the school on a number of occasions with Deputy Curran and others on a cross-party basis, the children and the parents in the schools are truly remarkable. The children are not remarkable because of their disabilities but because of the way in which they are able to overcome the enormous obstacles put in their way by our society and by the education system.

The building is simply unsuitable for any basic educational needs. It is not just that it is overcrowded or that some of these children are in prefabs. In one part of the school, it is not possible to close the toilet door. The toilet facility opens onto a corridor which has an old fashioned screen. The child, and possibly the assistant to the child, has to use this facility while other children, teachers, sometimes parents and Deputies, as was the case when we visited, walk down the corridor.

We asked the Minister to prioritise the capital investment to allow this school building to go ahead. He replied that information was being waited on from the school. That information has now been provided. We are looking for two things from the Minister. The first is an update. The answer to the parliamentary question the Minister gave last week was pretty poor in terms of additional information. We are looking for an update on what is happening with this vital capital project. However, we are also looking for the Minister to commit to prioritising this project so that this happens within the next number of years and not over the coming six-year period, as he indicated in his answer last week.

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister will recall the debate last September when we set out the conditions in the school which the 74 pupils are enduring. All these pupils have a range of disabilities. The school structure is simply not adequate to meet their needs. I refer to their movements around the school, the size of the corridors, the classrooms and the toilet facilities.

6 o’clock

All of these children require mobility aids of one form or another, but mainly wheelchairs, and it is simply not possible to move around the school. We specifically asked the Minister to consider favourably fast-tracking this development and he indicated in his response that he would consider it. He also said at the time that there were outstanding issues. Deputy Ó Broin and I are advised by the school that all the outstanding issues have been forwarded to the Department. It is extraordinary to see the pupils and teachers surviving and thriving in this environment. It is not an appropriate place where the most vulnerable in our society should be expected to go for an education.

Incidentally, when we asked the Minister to consider favourably fast-tracking this we had no wish to jump a queue. That was not the point. As I pointed out on the last occasion, the whole school evaluation report, which was conducted eight years ago on 4 March 2010, highlighted all the issues we are bringing to the Minister's attention today. Eight years ago the Department determined that the school was not fit for purpose. We need assistance in bringing it up to date so it does not languish in some procedural black hole in the Department. Frankly, we were concerned by the reply when we raised this issue, which simply stated that it is now in the six year construction programme. That is not satisfactory. The school has already spent eight years trying to get onto a programme. Now it is told it is on a programme, but there is no plan or detail. I hope the Minister can enlighten us and outline what practical steps can be taken to ensure the vulnerable pupils in that school are looked after in a timely fashion.

6:45 pm

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputies for raising this again. This school site includes a therapy building and the Central Remedial Clinic, CRC, which is the patron, owns the building and intends to replace it. In that context, my Department had been engaging with the CRC seeking clarity on its plans for the therapy building. The CRC, in the latter part of January last, confirmed to the Department that it is not proceeding with its plans for a new therapy building at present. Now that this clarification has been received the Department is proceeding with the preparation of the project brief for the school building project. This forms part of the preparatory work required to facilitate the progression of the project into the architectural planning process. The Department will continue to engage with the patron and the school authority on the progression of the project.

Being on the six year list is just an indication that this has been recognised as a priority. It does not mean it is at the end of the list. There is now a significant move in its progress and my Department will work with the school to bring it through the various architectural stages as quickly as possible. I realise that this is a very important priority for a group of students who, as the Deputies said, are thriving in education under very difficult personal conditions and with defects in the facilities they are currently using.

Photo of Eoin Ó BroinEoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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When we raised this with the Minister last year he said he would be sympathetic to the proposal that this should be fast-tracked if possible. He went on to say that he had been seeking in the previous two years to prioritise children with special educational needs. I urge the Minister to visit the school. I accept there are huge demands on the Minister's time and on the limited resources of the Department, and every group of politicians and parents who are seeking a capital project will invite the Minister to visit the school in question. However, if the Minister takes the time to visit Scoil Mochua he will be genuinely shocked by the Dickensian conditions there.

I note that when we asked the Minister about this last year the timescale was up to 2021. Now we are being told about a six year timescale. The concern of the parents, children and teachers, as well as the local representatives, is at what point in that six year period it will be. Perhaps the Minister will outline in detail what happens next, when this school can expect to get approval and when the building will finally be built so the children can get the education they deserve.

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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As Deputy Ó Broin said, the Minister said on the last occasion that he would be sympathetic to the proposal that it should be fast-tracked if possible, in light of the particular circumstances of the school and the conditions. The physical structure is grossly inadequate to meet the daily needs of this group of 74 pupils. I agree with Deputy Ó Broin that the Minister should visit it if he has the opportunity. It is rare that we would come to the House to advocate for a particular school over another, because all schools have pressures. However, this is considerably different. I believe it requires the Minister's direct intervention to ensure it is not treated within the Department as just another school building project. It is for a group of pupils who have significant physical disabilities. The unit they are working in currently is not fit for purpose. I urge the Minister to acknowledge that he previously said he would be favourably disposed to fast-tracking it and that he will take a personal interest in delivering this school in a timely fashion.

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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To clarify, the six years refer to 2015 to 2021, the period during which the schools where we need to make investment were identified and this was prioritised. There is a new demographic operation taking place and some new schools will be identified from that. That will be the next piece. The next steps are the project brief, design, planning permission and so forth. There are also detailed architectural design approval processes before that. Then it goes to tender and to build. There are different ways to build. Depending on the suitability of the project it could be rapid build, which is one model, or there are other ways of building it. I will ask if there is a way in which the choice of the build could speed this up, but there is no way I can short circuit the steps. They must be gone through individually. I cannot make a commitment that one phase will take two months and another will take six months because I would only be misleading the Deputies if something unforeseen cropped up during the process. However, my Department recognises the priority of a school of this nature. I will seek to ensure that no time is lost at any point in the schedule as it proceeds.