Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this matter for the Adjournment. I have been asked on behalf of the board of management, the management and the staff of St. Mark's junior school in Springfield in Tallaght to raise an issue concerning its accommodation. Recently, the school made an application to the Department of Education and Science for two prefabs. Before Easter, to the astonishment of the school, the request for the additional accommodation was turned down.

This is a growing school with 28 teachers, two speech and language therapists, a total of 30 full-time teachers, but only 24 classrooms. These are the circumstances that teachers and pupils must face every day. In the past five years, there has been a growth of 30 to 50 extra new pupils attending the school each year. Six of the 24 classrooms have been divided into two to create further accommodation. As a result, the school has lost its library because of the need to double-up on classroom space.

The two existing prefabs in the school are 20 years old. They have been deemed derelict and unfit for habitation by the environmental health officer. The provision of accommodation for the breakfast and after-school clubs has been put at risk as a result of the Department's failure to provide this temporary accommodation. Without prefabs next year, the school will likely lose its PE hall. The Minister of State will appreciate this is essential infrastructure in a modern educational set-up. The school is situated close to a rapidly expanding area. New apartment blocks in the vicinity of the school have put additional pressure for school places. Will the Minister re-examine the school's request for the two prefab buildings? They are only temporary and will not solve the problem in the long term. However, their provision would give some respite to the management and staff who provide an excellent education facility for children in the area.