Dáil debates
Wednesday, 8 March 2023
Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate
Schools Buildings Projects
9:22 am
Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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Guím Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBan sona ar gach duine. Mar a dúirt an tAire Stáit, an Teachta Calleary, is Seachtain na Gaeilge é fosta. Táim ag cur ceiste faoi fhadhb atá sa tír agus ag labhairt faoi na fadhbanna i mo chontae féin maidir le scoileanna a athchóiriú agus síneadh a chur le scoileanna agus faoi scoileanna úra atá de dhíth. Táim ag labhairt faoi Ghaelscoil Na gCeithre Máistrí i mbaile Dhún na nGall, atá ag fanacht le 24 bliain anois. Tá an scoil lonnaithe i bhfoirgneamh sealadach. Níl sé sin ceart do na páistí, do na tuismitheoirí ná do na daoine atá ag obair inti, is iad sin, na múinteoirí, na special needs assistants agus foireann uilig na scoile. Tá an scoil ag fanacht ar an solas glas. Tá achan rud críochnaithe. Tá na tenders istigh. Tá an próiseas déanta ach tá an scoil ag fanacht ar an solas glas.
I am glad the Minister of State is here. I am not going to do the usual "where is the Minister?". I am glad the Minister of State is here because this issue is relevant to her constituency. There is a major issue with the Department of Education regarding capital funding. My major concern is that if we stall 58 to 60 of the projects that are ready to go to tender or ready to go to construction, it will stall the system, planning will run out and we will end up with a situation where redesign will have to happen and it will cost more in the long run.
I ask the Government to use common sense here. We seem to have money for everything when we hit a speed bump along the road but even back in 2011, 2012 and 2013, when the country was in a worse situation than it had ever been in the past 50 years, we protected the education budget and allowed buildings to go ahead. We need sustainability within the Department because contractors need sustainability. Young construction workers in Galway and Donegal are making decisions. They might decide to go to Australia if we do not have long-term security in building.
My message today is quite clear. We need to re-instill confidence within the system with regard to schools like Four Masters High School that is ready to sign contracts, Moville Community College that was ready to sign documents three weeks ago, and St. Eunan's College in Letterkenny that was ready to go to tender to ensure these projects go ahead. There is a multi-annual budget. There is a figure of €860 million for the year. I accept there has been inflation and schools like Scoil Íosagáin in Buncrana have suffered because the contractor who awarded the contract was unable to take it on because of escalating costs. This happens but they had to go back for planning. I accept there has been a lot of disruption within the system and I know Department officials in Tullamore are working within major constraints but we need collectively as parliamentarians and as a Government to go to the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to get additional moneys because, even with small-scale projects, there has been a lot of stalling. I know the Minister of State will use her own networks in her party to ensure we get these projects moving again because it is having a very negative impact on many schools.
Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I am taking this Topical Issue matter on behalf of the Minister for Education. The Deputy is quite right. I am in a similar position to the Deputy as my county has the same needs and pressures. I thank him for raising this matter as it gives me the opportunity to provide an update to the House on the current position regarding a number of school building projects that are on hold from proceeding to either tender or construction due to capital funding pressures.
The Department's capital allocation has always been under significant pressure and it has a strong track record of fully utilising it and in many years requiring supplementary capital funding to deliver urgently required school building projects. These pressures on the capital allocation have been compounded since the National development plan, NDP, allocations were determined in 2021 by the impact of high construction inflation, the increasing prevalence of autism and other complex special education needs that require the accelerated delivery of special educational needs provision at pace, and the urgent need to provide capacity for students from Ukraine and other countries under the international protection system. The national priority within the NDP for increasing the roll-out of housing is also adding to pressures on the Department's capital allocation given the knock-on impact for additional school provision requirements.
The Department's published NDP allocation for 2023 is €860 million. As part of its planning ahead for 2023, the Department is engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform regarding capital funding pressures to continue to be able to support adequately the operation of the school system with roll-out of school building projects to tender and construction in 2023, including the projects referenced in the media reports.
Under the Department's large-scale additional accommodation scheme, 58 school building projects are currently on hold due to capital funding pressures. More than 180 school building projects were delivered during 2022, which included accelerated delivery of modular accommodation to support provision for 900 pupils with special educational needs. A total of 300 school building projects continued in construction at the start of 2023, most of which will be completed in 2023 or early 2024. This includes more than 40 new school buildings. All of these projects are helping to support the operation of our schools, are delivered to the highest standard, and are very energy efficient. This strong level of delivery is a key driver of capital pressures in the Department.
Other key achievements under the school building programme in 2022 include strategic initiatives put in place to support planning for school provision requirements; the setting up of 16 regional education and language teams, REALTs, to facilitate enrolment of 15,000 children from Ukraine; necessary smaller scale refurbishment and maintenance in 1,000 schools; and 16 deep energy retrofit pathfinder projects ongoing in partnership with the Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland, SEAI. Strategic initiatives put in place to support delivery include use of project manager supports, procurement frameworks, a variety of delivery mechanisms, and a strong pipeline of projects.
It is also important to note the Department was very successful in accommodating 15,000 pupils from Ukraine. These pressures have resulted in the need for the Department's planning and building unit to assess its work programme and priorities for 2023 in the context of its available funding. This review is ongoing.
It is important also to say that when the Taoiseach took Leaders' Questions yesterday, he said there would be that collective effort to go to the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to seek additional funding exactly to speak to the point that we need to ensure stability and confidence within the schools and for the builders who tendered on those projects.
9:32 am
Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. I will list a few of the schools for the information of the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, and for the Department in Tullamore. They know these, and a lot of good work has gone into these: Gaelscoil Na gCeithre Máistrí in Donegal town is ready to start construction; Moville Community College in north Inishowen is ready to start construction; St. Eunan's College in Letterkenny is ready to go to tender; Pobalscoil Chloich Cheannfhaola has an application for a school building which is at the very early stages; at Scoil Cholmcille at Kilmacrennan a construction company has been appointed for an autism spectrum disorder, ASD, class extension; two classrooms for special education needs were announced in 2019 for Scoil Naomh Baoithin at St. Johnston in Lifford but are still waiting approval; Scoil Niall Mór in Killybegs has been waiting on stage 2A for a number of months; Scoil Naomh Fiachra, Illistrin, is currently at stage 2B, planning stage, but there is a concern around whether there is sufficient money to complete this project; Loreto Milford, has the stage 2A report submitted for a proposed extension and was offered prefabs, but this is not a solution for growing numbers; the Royal and Prior school in Raphoe had funding committed back in 2019 and it is looking for progress there; Scoil Íosagáin in Buncrana had to go back for planning because of problems with the awarding of the contract, but it is back on track and needs reassurances as well; the Crana College campus has applied for an 11-classroom extension; the principal at Cranford National School was also in touch with me this morning; Deele College in Raphoe was ready to go to planning last summer and had to bin its application and the design team with 12 to 18 months gone, and its numbers will be 750; and there is also Cashelnagor National School in Gortahork.
I mention these because if we stop any form of funding in that current system, we will lose out on all of the work that has gone in so far and all of the taxpayers' money that has gone into investment, design teams, architects, quantity surveying and all of that work. If we stop that, we are back to duplicating this work and it will cost in the long run. I am aware the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform works on multi-annual budgets, but we need to find a better system. I am glad to hear the Minister of State's words today that there is a collective solidarity around this issue at Cabinet and around Government. School communities have been patient, in particular those schools with projects that have been waiting for the green light to be switched on. That is what I am thinking.
Gabhaim buíochas arís leis an Aire Stáit as teacht go dtí an Teach inniu agus as an am atá sí ag gabháil chugam. Gabhaim Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBan sona di agus don Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Bainigí sult as tríd an bhliain, ní hamháin ar lá amháin.
Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Táimid thar am ach tá an Teachta chomh dearfach sin.
Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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Go raibh maith agat.
Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister, Deputy Foley, fully understands and appreciate the concerns raised about the roll-out of school building projects. The Minister can assure the Deputy that the Department is very conscious of the need to support the operation of the school system and intends to provide clarity for individual schools about their school building projects as quickly as possible. In that regard, the Minister and the Department are very appreciative of the ongoing engagement with colleagues in the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. There is a collective piece.
It is also important to say that, over the past three years, the Government has invested €2.6 billion in school buildings. This is a record level of investment that has helped to add capacity and to modernise existing accommodation in schools throughout the country. I have no doubt the Minister is listening to Deputy McHugh's contribution this morning. I nearly feel compelled to list into the record all of the schools in my area, but I will not because there is such pressure. I have discussed this with the Minister and I will bring back the Deputy's contribution.