Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

Is ceist tábhachtach an cheist seo, agus tá sé tábhachtach freisin gur chuir Seanadóir ó thaobh an Rialtais an ábhar seo ar an athló. Tá muintir Gaoth Dobhair ag iarraidh go rachaidh an halla spóirt seo ar aghaidh gan mhoill.

As has been already mentioned, this goes back to the early 1980s. I can remember being in primary school when past pupils of Bunbeg national school came to our school and told us they were pupils of Pobalscoil Gaoth Dobhair and that it would be great when we would go because the sports hall would be constructed. Guarantees had been given in the Dáil as far back as the early 1980s by, at that time, Fine Gael Ministers. They were repeated by Fianna Fáil Ministers. That is 20 years ago, I left Pobalscoil Gaoth Dobhair 11 years ago but there is still no gym in the area.

There is huge frustration in Gaoth Dobhair that Pobalscoil Gaoth Dobhair has never had the gym promised to it well over 20 years ago. There are schools right across the country with such PE facilities because it is part of the curriculum. This issue also concerns other factors which have been mentioned, such as obesity. There is a financial aspect as well, as the pobalscoil has to bus pupils here, there and everywhere to avail of community facilities, such as the GAA pitch or venues for basketball or other sports.

I know the Minister would be very concerned about that and we spoke yesterday about proper design and planning. It does not make sense for us to bus hundreds of students a couple of miles every year to avail of facilities which should be on-site.

There has been progress on commitments to the sports hall. It was given the go-ahead in June 2006 and again in May 2007, and funding has been committed by the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. The school itself also had to raise money. A letter was given to the board of management in May which stated the project would be on-site no later than eight months from the sending of the letter. That would mean the project should have been on-site in January.

The problem is there have been a number of obstacles to it being put to tender and construction, centering on the mechanical and electrical design. On five different occasions, the Department has rejected the designs coming forward. That does not make sense because the Department appointed the contractor itself. It has been rejected because of 16 points, 28 points and 34 points; it seems the goalposts are being moved time and again. When it was rejected in December on the grounds of electrical and mechanical design, the problems were not stated. Every other part of it has been approved.

I share the serious concerns that the Department is now trying to put this project on the long finger. The Minister mentioned in a speech, given to him to deliver by the Department of Education and Science, that the main emphasis in 2008 is to provide sufficient school places in developing areas. We know the Minister has repeated that time and again. The fear in Gaoth Dobhair now is that the Department is moving the goalposts and using the mechanical and electrical designs to hold back this project and that that funding is being directed into the areas around Dublin where the population is expanding. Will the Minister address the points I have raised and obtain from the Department clarification on the nature of the stumbling block that exists in respect of this issue?