Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, and I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this Topical Issue matter. At the outset, I must outline my disappointment that the senior Minister, Deputy Foley, is not available tonight to discuss this matter. The Minister is familiar with the school, which is Davitt College in Castlebar, as she visited it on 15 September last year. I have no doubt that the Minister understands the importance of this project for the school community, its staff and its management. I wish to raise similar concerns with regard to St. Bríd's Special School, also in Castlebar, which the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, has visited.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, for coming to the Chamber as I outline the deep frustration, anger and disappointment at how these projects are being managed under the school building programme. The reality facing both schools in eight weeks time when students will return for the 2023-24 academic year is that neither school will have sufficient accommodation to house the intake that is due at the end of August. If this transpires, it will be a shambolic reflection of the planning and building unit within the Department of Education. That is the reality of this serious situation.

A commitment was given to Davitt College more than two and half years ago that the accommodation issue would be prioritised to facilitate growth in numbers if the college lifted its enrolment to 170 pupils, which it did. Through the board of management and through the management of the school, it reached that decision. Enrolment notices have now been issued to prospective students for the upcoming academic year. As the Minister of State will be aware, for those who have enrolled there are legal obligations around this. It is the same for St. Bríd's Special School. Both schools have continued to ask the Department for information as to when this promised and committed additional school accommodation will be made available to them, but with no success. The latest update they have received is a request from the Department, which made direct contact with the schools, to source their own alternative accommodation or to reconfigure accommodation that is already in place.

As I said, some time ago Davitt College received approval for seven mainstream classrooms, five special education teaching rooms, an art room, a science room and a participation area, as well as for the reconfiguration of existing rooms for two special classrooms under additional accommodation needs. This is to be delivered by Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board, ETB, under the Department's devolved reconfiguration and modular accommodation programme. The college has accepted a large number of extra students for the upcoming academic year. St. Bríd's Special School in Castlebar also received a similar request to reconfigure its current accommodation. The school had 14 inquiries for enrolment from September to add to its current unchanged enrolment of 28 pupils. After it was confirmed that it would receive two modular special educational needs classrooms in April, they accepted the enrolment but have since heard nothing on their delivery. The difficulty for both of these schools is that like many schools which are caught in a situation where they have a growing school population, they are still in limbo as to when they will receive their extra modular accommodation. The Government's commitment has not been fulfilled in these instances. How did we get to this point?

What is needed to get these projects developed for the staff and students of Davitt College and St. Bríd's Special School, which were faithfully promised to them by the Department of Education?

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an ábhar seo a ardú mar Shaincheist Tráthúil. It gives me the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley, who cannot be here this evening. I am in the Department under the Minister. I will outline to the House, on behalf of the Minister, the current position in relation to capital projects to deliver replacement and additional accommodation for Davitt College and St. Bríd's Special School under the Department’s reconfiguration and modular accommodation programme.

The school authority of Davitt College, which is Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim ETB, applied to the Department for additional accommodation under the additional school accommodation scheme, ASA. I am pleased to advise that approval under the ASA scheme has issued to the school authority in question for the provision of modular accommodation to provide for seven mainstream classrooms, five special education teaching rooms, an art room, a science room and a preparation area, toilets, and the reconfiguration of existing accommodation for two special education needs classes. The project is devolved for delivery to Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim ETB and is being delivered under the Department’s devolved reconfiguration and modular accommodation programme.

This programme is a new delivery stream under the ASA scheme which provides the services of a project manager to help school authorities with delivery of urgently required school accommodation. The project management support is designed to enable the accommodation to be provided as quickly as possible and helps to ease the administrative workload for school authorities in regard to the management and delivery of projects. The use of the Department's modular accommodation frameworks also helps in ensuring lead-in periods for procurement of modular accommodation are minimised to the greatest extent possible while delivering a turnkey project with efficiency in terms of timelines, experience and tried and tested service with professional design teams and contractors. Projects delivered under the scheme are devolved to school authorities under the terms and conditions of the scheme and it is a matter for schools to progress these projects on that basis, subject to Departmental review at various points in the process. Under this programme, the number of stages have been minimised to ensure efficiency of delivery while maintaining the necessary governance structure.

The project manager has already visited the school site and has prepared a viability report to identify the best accommodation solution for submission to the Department for consideration and approval. This has been approved by the Department which has received the school authority’s signed form of acceptance. Thereafter, the school authority in conjunction with the project manager appoints contractors and works start. While the overall construction sector environment is challenging, the Department is working closely with the project management company and the school authority to ensure that this urgently needed accommodation is delivered as quickly as possible.

In regard to St. Bríd’s Special School, approval was granted to the school authority for the provision of accommodation in respect of two special education needs classes. This project is also being delivered under the Department of Education’s devolved reconfiguration and modular accommodation programme. The project manager is working closely with my Department on finalising approval of the viability report to identify the best accommodation solution which takes account of prior engagement with the school authority. Once this has been completed within the coming week, formal approval by the Department will issue to the school authority. It is expected that the school authority will then return the signed form of acceptance and that contractors will be appointed to enable the works to start. My Department will continue to work closely with the project manager to ensure this important project is delivered in the most timely manner possible, notwithstanding the previously mentioned challenging overall construction sector environment.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for the response. He received a script from the officials in the Department of Education which fails to address any of the points I raised. That is not surprising. What I find even more staggering is that it fails even to address any of the engagements that civil servants, at principal or assistant secretary level in the Department of Education, had in calling the school directly and not availing of the devolved arrangements through the Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board. I find that absolutely appalling. It is alarming for school management to receive a call to say there are issues with the delivery of a project the school believed had been approved and committed to by the Department. Given the importance of this project for the school management, that is an appalling way to treat the school and also Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board. That needs to be rectified in regard to the script the Minister of State received.

The project management team met on-site at Easter and had a conversation in regard to the approval and design of temporary accommodation. It was alarming that the Department thought it would be acceptable to turn temporary accommodation into a permanent solution. The Department needs to take a reality check in this regard.

To ensure the Department and Minister are aware of the matter, I place on record that the GAA pitch at Davitt College will be protected at all costs. The college worked extremely hard to ensure that pitch was available for temporary accommodation only, not as a permanent solution. As the Minister of State can imagine, parents and students are seriously concerned about this matter and the issue with St. Bríd's Special School. There are eight weeks left until the next academic year. What is the alternative if accommodation is not provided to both schools?

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Dillon can say whatever he wishes. He is right to advocate for his community and for schools. It is very important for Ministers to give the exact response. I cannot just come in here and talk off the top of my head. I need to get the exact position of the Department and that is what I am outlining. That is why the response is always carefully worded in these situations. However, I can assure the Deputy that the Department of Education will continue to look at and employ methods of expediting delivery of the urgently required accommodation, such as project management and modular frameworks, to ensure the required school accommodation is in place for the school year. Officials in the Department will continue to work closely with both the school authorities we have discussed and the assigned project managers to ensure the timely delivery of the accommodation.