Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach inniu. I call on the Minister for Education and Science to examine the Finn Valley college issue. The Stranorlar technical school, which was built in 1939 and opened in 1940, is the oldest County Donegal Vocational Educational Committee school today. On 5 April 2007, Stranorlar technical school officially changed its name and is now known as the Finn Valley college or Coláiste Ghleann na Finne. In 2005, the Department of Education and Science granted approval for the provision of a 3,452 sq. m. new school. Planning permission for a new site was granted in November 2006 on the VEC site at Drumboe, Stranorlar.

The school has 363 students enrolled in the current school year and on 25 February last, approval was granted for a special class encompassing 33 teaching hours on autism-specific disorder, which is due to commence in September 2008. This is another indication of the excellent broad range of educational opportunities provided by the school. It is also important to note that the school has a teacher who is trained in applied behavioural analysis methods.

I refer specifically to the autism class because the current school accommodation and site does not have the space to provide this essential service. The school site is very compact, comprising 0.996 acres. Some of the prefabs on the site have been in place for more than 20 years and are inadequate to meet the accommodation needs of the school. However, the school management and staff, in particular the principal and vice principal, do an excellent job of maintaining the school and the site in pristine condition.

Tenders for the project approved in 2005 were opened by the finance committee of Donegal VEC and relevant members of the design team on 23 August 2007. The design team, by letter dated 19 September 2007, forwarded a preliminary tender report to the Department of Education and Science for its consideration. Subsequently, by letter dated 25 October 2007, the Department requested further or additional information on the design team tender report. The design team has responded to this request, by letter dated 12 November 2007 and the VEC offered the existing school site to the Department, which has an approximate independent value of €1.5 million, as part payment.

I urge the Department to accept favourably the offer from the VEC as the site could be used in future to cater for the additional or expanding needs of the adjacent St. Mary's national school, Scoil Mhuire, which has an extensive prefab complex. I strongly impress upon the Minister the need to issue approval to accept the lowest tender, which was subsequently modified, together with the associated nominated subcontractors and to proceed to contract on this project at the earliest possible date. The selected contractor has given an undertaking by letter to the VEC to hold the tendered price until the end of May 2008. It is essential, therefore, that the Minister gives approval to allow this project to proceed at the earliest possible date.