Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Callely, to the House and express my appreciation for the time he is taking to listen to the Adjournment matters.

I welcome yesterday's announcement of short-term funding to address the functionality and day to day running of St. Eunan's College. The board of management of St. Eunan's College and the school itself have asked that I raise on the Adjournment the plans envisaged for the school extension. It is now seven years since St. Eunan's College applied for an extension and a sense of disillusionment and frustration with the process has set in. What mechanism is in place to deal with the proposed extension of St. Eunan's College?

In addition, Ballyraine national school applied in the early 1980s for a school building project. What I sense from both boards of management is complete and utter frustration with the process as they have nothing to aim towards. Politicians, for example, have a date to aim for, 11 June 2004, the local elections, which gives us drive. However, there is no mechanism in the administrative procedures of the Department that sets out the timeframe for building projects. Does the "advanced architectural stage" of Ballyraine national school mean anything? The school needs a timeframe and a date which indicates when it will go to an advanced architectural stage. What are the terms of reference of the band system and the category into which St. Eunan's College falls? St. Eunan's College is in the necessary band which is below the urgent band. What are the terms of reference of the necessary band? The school has nothing to focus on and it does not know what it should aim towards. I ask the Minister of State to digress from his script.