Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I thank you, a Chathaoirligh, for your welcome and kind comments. I also thank Senator Kitt for raising this issue, one of the schools being his alma mater, and Senator Ulick Burke for his comments. Senator Burke is correct that significant change is involved in regard to education structure, demographics and needs among trustees of the schools, which is not only significant for the education service but very emotional for those involved. It is important that this be dealt with sympathetically.

There are five post-primary schools in Tuam — two voluntary secondary boys' schools, two voluntary secondary girls' schools and the vocational school which is co-educational. In late 2000, the four voluntary second level schools in Tuam agreed a rationalisation programme. Agreement was reached with the relevant trustees to form a single boys' and a single girls' school, each to cater for a long-term projected enrolment of 700 pupils. The vocational school is not part of that move. The school planning section of my Department agreed with the management authorities of both schools involved in the amalgamation of the boys' school that the optimum plan to address the accommodation needs of the single school which will result from the amalgamation is to extend facilities at St. Jarlath's College and to refurbish the existing facilities. The objective is to ensure that facilities at the new school will serve the needs of the school community well into the future.

Obviously, given the comments of Senator Kitt, the school and community want to know when this plan will be implemented. While I cannot be specific, we recognise in our building programme the importance of amalgamation and all it involves. I intend to publish the multi-annual school building programme before the end of the year and this will provide clarity, including in regard to the planned project at St Jarlath's College.

As it is an amalgamation and because of the co-operation of all involved, the project carries a high priority rating of band 1.4. This rating and the background of the schools will have a positive influence on the timescale for delivery of the project, which I hope will be evident when the plan is published at the end of the year. My officials have been in contact with the school authorities to progress the detailed preliminary work necessary to facilitate this large-scale building project. I hope we can continue in the programme to determine in an open and transparent way how projects are included for funding. We also want to be fair to everybody while recognising all that is involved in amalgamations.