Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for taking this Topical Issue matter this evening. Tubber is a very small village situated right on the Clare-Galway border. It is a few kilometres south of Gort and a few kilometres north of Crusheen. It is a beautiful village. I am sure that as a Mayo man, the Minister of State can almost imagine how rural, scenic and beautiful Tubber is. In 1852, like many other villages in Ireland, Tubber had its bricks-and-mortar school built. It is a beautiful school. At the time in 1852, there were 100 pupils enrolled. An inspection at the time by the then-equivalent of the Department of Education confirmed that reading, writing, Irish, of course, arithmetic, geography and history were being taught to a high level to the 100 pupils there. It can be imagined that when the schoolmaster went out and rang the bell in the 1850s, the children went out and played safely on the road.

That was the 1850s, and things have changed drastically since then. Good and all as Tubber school has been and the incredible service it has given to the community, the current building has run its course. It is a really old, antiquated structure. This situation has become very stark lately because things like the sewerage system are starting to give major trouble. The school also needs special education classrooms and facilities like this, which a modern school would have. There is no space in the current location. It is hemmed in on a triangular site by two very busy roads. These are the same roads that were there in 1852, but both of them are now very busy. It is quite dangerous to drop children off at school. Owing to the nature of the site, there is very little space for that school to expand.

For the past three years, therefore, I have been engaging extensively, sometimes daily, with the wonderful principal there, Patricia Lee. I believe she has tuned in to watch this debate tonight, as has the deputy principal, Michelle Davoren. They work out of two classrooms. I will help us visualise the set-up. These classrooms are very small, probably even a little bit smaller than the area in the Dáil Chamber where the Government representatives sit. The secretary, SET, etc., are all in the adjacent room. Everything is crammed in. People eat their lunches off photocopiers, pack away after lunch and then try to teach kids around the photocopier. I was a schoolteacher for 16 years and I am still a member of the INTO. I have never, however, seen a school like this one in my county.

I, therefore, put down this Topical Issue matter. Like all good politicians, I did a lot of leg work today. I was over and back with the Minister, Deputy Foley. I then received a wonderful phone call to say there was good news and there was going to be an announcement that Tubber National School would get two 80 m. sq. classrooms, a new staff room and a new SET room, all of which the people involved have been crying out for. This accommodation will have to move across the road because there is no room at the current site. To begin with, these new rooms will be modular. We all believe, though, that this is the start of the pathway to a bricks-and-mortar building to replace the one that has been there since 1852.

I wish to thank the Minister, Deputy Foley, on the record for this really good news today. It is going down so well with the school community there. I have been in contact with Patricia Lee, the principal, and Michelle Davoren, the deputy principal. I also acknowledge another person who has played a significant role in this regard, namely, Councillor Joe Killeen, my party colleague. Many people might know that Joe was a former teacher and principal and president of the INTO. He has doggedly campaigned for this new accommodation too.

We would love to get a bit of detail now from the Minister of State on when this project will happen. We had this announcement today from the Minister and it is going down so well with the school community. It has been welcomed and many people have tuned in to watch this debate. We would, however, love to get some of the detail on when this provision of new accommodation will happen and what will happen next. Can the school have a more expansive enrolment for September 2024 or would this be getting a little too far ahead of ourselves? A little bit of detail on the bricks-and-mortar building that we are really looking for, ultimately, would also be appreciated. Unlike some of the other speakers, I appreciate what the Minister of State is doing in this Department and I look forward to a positive reply.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Go raibh maith agat. I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter and for providing the opportunity to outline to the House the current position with Tubber National School on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley. Deputy Crowe has been a real advocate in relation to the concerns and issues raised in his own constituency in County Clare. I refer to the current position of an application for a capital project to deliver additional accommodation for Tubber National School in County Clare.

The school authority of Tubber National School applied to the Department of Education in September 2022. Initial approval was received for additional accommodation under the additional school accommodation, ASA, scheme. I am pleased to announce that this project has now been approved to move to the delivery stage. The school authority will be notified shortly of the next steps in relation to the progression of this project.

The accommodation approved is for the delivery of two mainstream classrooms, one speciation education tuition room, an office-reception room and a staff room. The project as outlined is being delivered under the Department’s devolved SEN reconfiguration and modular accommodation programme. As I said earlier, this programme adds an additional stream of delivery under the additional school accommodation scheme, which allows school authorities access to the Department’s frameworks. The accommodation for Tubber National School will be provided in a modular building from a manufacturer appointed by the Department of Education’s modular accommodation framework. The use of the Department's modular accommodation framework assists in ensuring lead-in periods for the procurement of modular accommodation are minimised to the greatest extent possible. To date, this has worked very well in the education sector and has seen the delivery of large-scale, high-quality modular accommodation to meet the needs of children, particularly those with special educational needs.

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. The Department is fully aware of the need for urgency in respect of Tubber National School. As I said earlier, the school authority has overall responsibility and officials from the Department of Education will work closely with the school authority and its consultant to ensure there is timely delivery of this much-needed accommodation.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for that good, positive response. It is in line with what the Minister, Deputy Foley, communicated to me earlier. It is really good news.

I have a few points to make. I will not name a Department official because it is not fair to do so in this Chamber but there is one official who has been outstanding on this matter. I and the school have plagued him about this project and he has always been very positive and engaging and I believe he has helped to get this project to this point.

Just so that everyone in Tubber is aware, the accommodation that will be delivered will be modular. There will be two classrooms, the reception area, the SET room and the staff room. It is a very welcome step. This is an upgrade on the old 1852 building that was built just after the Famine. The school has been there for what seems like forever and now it will be moving to this new facility whenever it is delivered. It is important, however, that this development is recognised as a stepping stone to the construction of a permanent building. I do not mean to sound any bum notes when it is all good news, but this must be a stepping stone to delivering a bricks-and-mortar building. In that regard, I appeal to the Minister to engage with Patricia Lee, the principal, and her board of management to ensure there is a pathway progressing beyond this modular construction to ensure we get to that point. I say this because, inevitably, when one campaign gets closed out and delivered, the next question gets asked.

That is really the detail I would love to hear a bit more on. I understand we have only had the announcement today. We have no delivery date for the modular unit yet but that really needs to be expedited. I was over and back with the school on this, but a letter was lodged with the Department which would suggest there are particularly severe and extenuating problems with the sewerage system there. This is not a "sit back and we will get there eventually" situation. This school - I would say above other schools in the county and country - urgently needs this accommodation now. Any news on the bricks and mortar would be really welcome. Maybe that news is not there yet but that has to be part of the discourse on what is largely a positive day.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Crowe for his engagement and passion to see that this project is delivered in a timely manner. I can confirm that Tubber National School is due to receive a capital grant approval in the coming days for the initiation of the delivery phase. The next step in the process will be for the school authorities to again engage with the consultant and with the approved appointed modular contractor to discuss detailed design. The Department will organise a meeting to help to initiate this project.

In the wider context, I reaffirm my commitment to bring a message back to the Minister, Deputy Foley, around the urgent need for modular accommodation for Tubber National School and to ensure her officials in the Department will work effectively with the school authorities to progress this matter immediately.

The previous point raised around issues with the sewerage system is really important. There is a note here on the delays they have encountered and the reasons for those delays. I hope the Department is in a position to put in place an effective solution to this and to allow the project to progress with pace.