John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

I thank the Senator for raising this matter, which he brought up in a more general vein on 4 March last. The Minister of State, Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher, deputised for the Minister for Education and Science on that day and subsequently informed her of the views enunciated by Senator Phelan in this matter. The Minister of State outlined the background in detail of proposals to rationalise post-primary provision in New Ross and, as the Senator will be well aware of this, it is not my intention to repeat the full extent of this detail other than what is necessary for the record.

There are five post-primary providers in New Ross and all are seeking major capital investment. As a result of this and declining enrolments, the Department of Education and Science appointed a facilitator, Dr. Tom McCarthy, to review infrastructural provision in the area, including that at primary level. In his report, Dr. McCarthy recommended a reduction at post-primary level to three schools, each catering for 720 pupils which would provide accommodation and facilities for 2,100 pupils overall. The schools were to comprise one single-sex girls' school, one single-sex boys' school and one co-educational school.

Subsequently the Department prepared a discussion paper for the trustees of both the primary and post-primary schools to progress the matter. This step was taken because of demographic changes since Dr. McCarthy's report. The purpose of the paper was to put forward the Department's view on the extent of provision needed for New Ross, together with how best this could be met.

The key recommendation at post-primary level was that the five post-primary schools should be rationalised to provide three schools, each catering for 500 mainstream pupils or 1,500 pupils overall. This reflected the current and proposed population for the area, housing developments etc., which were discussed with the local authorities. It also reflected that some of the schools were enrolling pupils from outside the catchment area.

The demographics quoted by Senator Phelan when he last raised this matter suggests there are currently between 7,000 and 8,000 people in New Ross town with some 2,100 post-primary school pupils. Normally, a population of 8,000 persons would yield a post-primary pupil output of some 680 pupils, which would be sufficient for one post-primary school. I accept the Senator was probably talking about the town itself and that the appropriate hinterland demographics would need to be factored in.

Nonetheless, in a case where 2,100 pupils are not evenly distributed over five schools, difficulties are inevitable not alone in running and maintaining buildings but also in terms of the type and extent of curriculum that can be delivered in the smaller schools. These are the issues which the Department wants to see tackled for the purpose of providing the town with the requisite number of strong and viable schools for the future with top class accommodation. In the circumstances, I am glad of Senator Phelan's comment here on 4 March last that "everybody in the town and its schools accepts changes must be made and there is a strong case for amalgamation."

This being the case, the Department too is disappointed progress has not been made. It has no vested interest in seeing pupils in unsatisfactory accommodation but it is important for the Senator to understand it is matter for the trustees of the schools involved to take this forward in their own school communities, and this is what they are doing.

The Department accepts change is never easy to accept or achieve and it will support the trustees in any way it can to move the process forward. The Department also accepts the position in New Ross is unique, which contributes to the complexity of the issues required to be resolved. These arise chiefly because there are two different dioceses, two different parishes and two different local authority areas of functionality involved.

With regard to comments made by the Senator on the maintenance of the existing buildings, the Department provides funding through capitation grants to post-primary schools for the day to day running of schools, including maintenance. The budget included significant improvements at second level for 2008 by increasing capitation by €15 to €331 per student per annum, while the support services grant will increase by €5 to €117 per annum. In addition, an extra €10 per student will be given to the voluntary schools to continue the process towards equalisation of funding measures for that sector.

Voluntary schools will, therefore, get €535 per student, with a typical 500-student school getting €267,500 in 2008 to meet its day to day costs outside of teacher pay, which is of course also covered by the Department.

In 2006, the Department gave more than €123,000 to the Good Counsel College to address external works over which there were health and safety concerns. Generally, the Senator will appreciate, where major capital investment is required across a number of schools in the same area, the Department has an obligation to critically examine what is being asked for and to satisfy itself that expenditure is fully justified and represents value for money not just in terms of bricks and mortar but in educational terms.

I thank the Senator again for raising this matter and assure him that once there is an outcome to discussions among the trustees, which the Department will support to the best of its ability, moves can be made to consider the extent of large scale capital investment which can be made in the New Ross area.