Alex White (Labour)

I thank the Cathaoirleach for affording me the opportunity to raise this issue on the Adjournment. It concerns two combined schools on the same site in Knocklyon in Dublin, namely St. Colmcille's senior and junior schools. They are highly successful schools with exceptional input from their staff and students with a marvellous level of respect and support in the community.

The difficulty is that the schools wish to apply for planning permission but so far the Minister has not seen fit to permit the school to proceed with this application. The schools have slightly fewer than 500 pupils in prefabricated accommodation with a total of 16 prefab classrooms and 14 prefab resource teacher rooms. Most of these prefabs were installed 20 to 25 years ago. Naturally enough, they are in very poor condition. It is vital this project proceeds.

The schools have been addressing this matter themselves since as far back as 2000. The two boards of management raised the matter of poor quality accommodation with the Department in April 2000. A feasibility study was carried out in December 2001 and in March 2005 the Minister authorised the schools to proceed to architectural planning. A stage 2 submission was submitted in October 2006 and in November 2007, stage 3 was given technical approval. The boards of management were then requested to wait for further news and permission to apply for planning permission until after the budget in December 2007. They are still waiting for this permission.

This project is vital to the schools and it is important to point out to the Minister of State that it will entail no extra cost to the Department of Education and Science. It is purely to afford the schools the opportunity to proceed with their application for planning. The momentum exists in the schools and in the local community which provides fantastic support for the schools. A site has been secured for temporary accommodation with the agreement of the local community. All that is required to be done is that the schools are allowed to proceed to apply for planning permission.

I do not understand why, in circumstances where costs are not entailed, the Minister could not see her way to giving the green light to the schools to make their application for planning permission so this vital project can be brought to fruition. I look forward to the response of the Minister of State. The schools, pupils, parents and the local community look forward to this project coming to fruition at the earliest possible opportunity.