Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I am particularly thankful to you, a Cheann Comhairle, for allowing me to raise this issue. It arose before Christmas, but due to issues outside everybody's control it was not possible to reach it until now.

This situation arose with the reconstruction of Maynooth Boys' National School, which is on a dangerous junction with heavy traffic. It is adjacent to Maynooth Post Primary School, which has recently been vacated and moved to a new site about half a mile away. That leaves the future of the existing premises to be dealt with in a number of ways. Incidentally, this has been agreed in general over the past number of years. Provision for a Gaelcholáiste was previously mooted and agreed at local level. There was also provision for a local swimming pool to be shared between Maynooth University and the local community, which is awaiting funding at present. The use of the facilities there by Maynooth boys' school on a temporary basis while construction of the new school is taking place was sought and agreed between the respective school authorities. There was no difficulty with that.

However, approval has not yet emerged. That is important because it is essential that in this area of heavy traffic a means be found to facilitate the local agreement between the authorities in Maynooth Post Primary School and Maynooth Community College, the two schools that have vacated the site. All that is required is access for the pupils of the boys' school while the construction work is ongoing, as well as access for the students to the AstroTurf site and recreational facilities. This is accentuated by the fact that, at present, the boys' school is a building site. It is extremely important that the boys gain access to their school independently and without crossing over the building site, which would not be advisable.

It is important to bear in mind that these matters have been agreed locally and without any difficulty. I am happy to report that since tabling this Topical Issue I received clarification by way of a reply to a parliamentary question to the effect that the Gaelcholáiste is agreed and is going ahead as was intended. The other parts of the submission I made remain to be dealt with in whatever way is possible, which will be very beneficial to the pupils of the boys' primary school, and to the local community in terms of the facilities that will eventually come on stream.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that the property in which Maynooth Post Primary School was located until recently is owned by Kildare-Wicklow Education and Training Board, KWETB. The school is relocating to a new location. The property vacated by the school has been identified as the permanent location for the Gaelcholáiste, as the Deputy confirmed in his contribution.

The Gaelcholáiste will take up occupancy once the necessary work on the property is completed. My Department understands that the movement of the Gaelcholáiste to the vacated post-primary school property is a priority for KWETB. The latter has received an application from Maynooth Boys' National School to use the adjoining entrance in the vacated property for access to the school while work is under way on the national school. I note what the Deputy said about the school being like a building site.

The national school has also sought access to some of the school facilities, which the Deputy mentioned, like the AstroTurf pitch and recreational facilities. He will be pleased to note that following engagement between the national school and KWETB, agreement has been reached for the provision of access and car parking to the boys' national school on the vacated school site. Engagement is continuing regarding access to other school facilities on the site. As is the practice, this engagement will be undertaken locally between all the relevant parties, including other schools, with the objective of reaching an agreement regarding the use of these facilities. Any further queries on arrangements regarding the property concerned should be referred to KWETB. Any decision around disposal or lease of an ETB property would first have to be considered by the board and then approved by the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley. The boys' national school has approximately 560 pupils so it will need that access and I am delighted that it has now got it in place.

The Deputy mentioned access to the AstroTurf pitch and recreational facilities. The sort of accommodation can be made around that would need to be addressed directly with the ETB. It would also have to be borne in mind that the Gaelscoil, which will take up occupancy in that site once works are completed, would have to be accommodated once it is ready to proceed. The Gaelscoil is currently in temporary accommodation in Manor Mills in Maynooth and once that work is completed it will be moving. The KWETB is also the patron of the Gaelcholáiste, which will have in the region of 500 pupils and is a co-educational school as well. We want to ensure the schools work together and that we can provide access for children. The Deputy mentioned earlier that the boys' national schools is situated at a very heavy junction so we want to ensure, for the children's health and safety, that they have that access and that car parking space. I am glad that has now been agreed between the respective parties. Any other outstanding issues can be agreed going forward between all the relevant parties. I thank the Deputy for his continuing concern and representations on behalf of these schools, in order that we can provide adequate educational facilities for these school-going children.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State and the Minister for the work they have done and for taking an interest in this issue in the past few weeks. Incidentally, the recreational demands of the area are considerable. Maynooth University borders the site and there are proposals to increase its student mass to 17,000 from where it stands currently at around 15,000. The recreational and outdoor space available there would be very useful in dealing with the recreational requirements of the area. It is hugely important that this matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of local interests, who were always in agreement with it and did not have any difficulty at all coming to the accommodation that was sought by Maynooth Boys' National School. I again thank the Minister of State and her colleague for the work they have done on the issue. I anticipate the work that is still required over the next six months or so and recognise that when the construction work is completed on the boys' school, it will be able to revert to the original access, subject to any agreements that might emerge in the meantime.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I note what the Deputy says about Maynooth University and the 17,000 students who will attend it. I also note that Maynooth Post Primary School, which is the co-educational school I mentioned, has 1,120 pupils. There is quite a considerable amount of education going on in a very small, constricted area. That sort of collaboration and engagement between the relevant schoolgoing communities, as well as the third level institution, is extremely important because of health and safety and the recreational facilities. The Deputy spoke in his contribution about the proliferation of children crossing and recrossing an extremely busy road. All of those issues have to be taken into account. I hope some accommodation can be made regarding the recreational facilities.

The Deputy's written submission refers to a swimming pool. The Department does not have any record of any proposal for a swimming pool on the site of the vacated property. If the Deputy is still interested in that particular topic, I suggest he take it up with KWETB as it may have some further information on that.

Accommodation could be made for the Maynooth Boys' National School regarding facilities as long as it has vacated the site by the time the Gaelcholáiste takes its place. As I said, there will be 500 pupils in a co-educational school coming into the vacated site so there is a lot of construction going on. I thank the Deputy for his continued representations on this matter. I will bring this conversation to the attention of the Minister. We obviously want the works on both those schools to be expedited and to take place and be completed as soon as possible.