Dáil debates

Wednesday, 13 February 2019

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

School Accommodation Provision

3:15 pm

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Pelletstown Educate Together national school is a rapidly growing school in an area where hundreds of houses are being built, sold and occupied on a monthly basis. There is demand for an additional 60 children, approximately, for September 2019 and, thus, urgent requirement for two additional prefabricated classrooms and additional space for other school activities on the temporary site currently occupied by the school while it awaits a permanent building. The parents, pupils, teachers and staff of the school are concerned that nothing has happened to indicate the building of the two prefabs is receiving the urgent attention required to ensure that children have classrooms to go to come next September. What is the reason for the delay in submitting a planning application for these two prefabs, which are urgently required for next September? Will the Minister of State clarify whether the planning application to Dublin City Council in respect of the prefab development has been submitted and if agreement has been reached with the developers of this large housing site for the temporary installation of the prefabs on the site currently occupied by the school pending the development and construction of a permanent school on the lands at Pelletstown? This is a successful neighbourhood with an expanding population neighbourhood in Ashtown beside the Grand Canal.

In September 2017, the school was in crisis when prefabs failed to materialise and junior and senior infants had to be taken by bus to the Broombridge Educate Together school some miles away. This was very difficult for the pupils, teachers and the parents.

Photo of Jack ChambersJack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Pelletstown Educate Together held a public meeting last night at the Royal Canal community centre, which was attended by teachers and more than 100 parents. The history of this school does not vindicate good departmental policy in terms of forward planning policy for schools. According to the parents and children, owing to a site delay, the school started out in a bunker with no natural air or light and no play space. In 2017, owing to a delay on the part of the Department in securing temporary accommodation, the school was split and some children had to be taken by bus to another school a few miles away at a cost to the Department of a couple of hundred euro per day.

The school faces a new accommodation crisis for 2019. As Deputy Burton mentioned, the responses of the forward planning section of the Department have been ambiguous. While it is positive news that a site has been secured for a permanent building, the planning application for the additional accommodation required for 2019 has not been submitted. There was a significant delay in securing temporary accommodation in 2017. We do not need evasive language or ambiguity. The feedback from the Department is that the planning application will be dealt with shortly. We all know that in Civil Service-speak "shortly" can mean weeks or months, which means delays and uncertainty for the school community of Pelletstown and Ashtown.

I ask the Minister of State to outline when the application will be submitted and to give a guarantee that this project will be progressed for September 2019. This is the feedback and certainty the teachers, pupils and parents need. Up to now, the history of this school in terms of development has not been good from a departmental perspective. It is important these issues are rectified now and that the Minister of State provides greater certainty than the answers heretofore.

Photo of John HalliganJohn Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McHugh. I thank the Deputies for raising the issue as it gives me the opportunity to set out the position in regard to the interim accommodation needs of Pelletstown Educate Together national school. The school is currently in interim accommodation at Ashtown Road, Rathborne, Dublin 15, on a privately owned site and currently has sufficient accommodation.

In September 2019, the school will require additional interim accommodation. Officials at my Department are aware of the additional accommodation requirements of the school and work is ongoing to ensure sufficient suitable additional accommodation will be available to the school for September 2019. The Department has been seeking the landlord’s permission to install the two prefabs that will be required for September 2019. The landlord has recently given consent and the Department is currently working on the planning application, which will be lodged with Dublin City Council shortly.

With regard to the permanent school building project for the school, I am pleased to advise that the Department has secured the permanent site for the school and planning permission has been lodged with the city council. Providing the planning process runs smoothly and no issues arise, the project is scheduled to be on site in quarter 2, 2019. It is intended that construction will take place in a manner to allow for a phased handover of sufficient accommodation to meet the school's need by the end of January 2020. Phase 2 of the project is expected to be ready for quarter 3, 2020.

The Department is in regular contact, and holds monthly meeting, with the schools patron body in regarding to this and a number of other projects under its remit and will continue to keep the school's patron body fully informed of progress.

Deputy Burton asked the reason for the delay in submitting the planning application. The Department was not in a position to submit a planning application until consent was received from the landowner. The necessary consent has now been received and the Department will shortly submit the planning application for the additional accommodation required for September 2019 to the local authority.

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply, which I acknowledge is very positive. The Minister of State has promised the parents, pupils and staff of Pelletstown Education Together that they will have their prefabs in September 2019. I welcome that promise. We will hold the Minister of State to it. This school has been split and we want a commitment that it will not be split again.

I am interested to hear that the developers, who are advertising the wonderful schools in the area to sell the houses, were slow to give their consent to the installation of the prefabs on the current temporary site. Will the Minister of State confirm that the entire site, which is a large site, will be useable as required for the prefabs and for the essential purposes of the school?

I hear the Minister is lodging the planning application shortly. Does "shortly" mean by the end of next week because it will take a couple of months to build the prefabs and satisfy the planning conditions? We want it open in September.

3:25 pm

Photo of Jack ChambersJack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the comprehensive response from the Minister of State. There is a division of language. Much certainty has been provided on the timeline for the permanent school build, which we are aware of. He spoke about being one site in the second quarter of 2019 with completion in the third quarter of 2020. There is an urgent need for the school now. The primary issue we both discussed in this Topical Issue debate is the definition of "shortly". Is it a week, is it a month, or is it five months? It is for the Department to provide that certainty.

It is good the Government and the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills are providing a guarantee to parents, children and the broader community that the prefab will be on site. The reason I referenced the historic issue in this school and the difficulties it has had with Department is that promises were not fulfilled, despite them being well-intentioned. Will the Minister of State provide clarity on what "shortly" means for this school? Is it a guarantee that the prefabs will be on site in September 2019? When will the application be lodged?

Photo of John HalliganJohn Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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I reiterate that the difficulty was seeking permission from the landlord to install the two prefabs. That was the immediate problem the Department had. We were not in a position to place the planning application until we had received written confirmation from the landlord, which has been received. I spoke to the Department and the Minister this morning and now that it has been received, there will not be a delay. The Minister is aware of the difficulties that Deputies Burton and Jack Chambers have brought to his attention.

On the permanent site for the school, the site acquisition process is now complete and it is a 1.57 acres site in Ashtown. That is sufficient to deal with what is required. The Department told me this morning that it is in regular contact - the Deputies can confirm this with the patron body of the school - that there are agreements to have monthly meetings with the patron. We will give regular updates on what is happening to both Deputies. The Department officials told me this morning that there will not be a delay. Now that everything is in order and the landlord has given consent, this will be done immediately.