Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)

I thank Senator Ormonde for sharing time. I support the amendment to the motion but I cannot pretend that I fail to understand from where Senator O'Toole and his Independent colleagues are coming. Anybody in the real world or anybody who comes from an education background like myself will be aware of the immense frustration of school authorities at primary and secondary level regarding where they stand on the building programme.

I would like to instance three schools in my constituency, Kerry North. Drumclough national school may have been mentioned by Senator O'Toole who is very involved with it. The authorities have been waiting two years for a technical inspection team to visit. That is difficult to explain because it is a matter of priority, not planning. Listowel Presentation primary school has seven prefabricated buildings and it is groaning for space. The school authorities do not know what band they are on and when progress will be made. They cannot make proper plans for the future. I was briefed earlier by Councillor Norma Foley from Tralee on Blennerville national school. The school authorities have a major problem. They were approved for a new school in 2000 and eight years later students are in rooms measuring 17 sq ft and nothing is happening.

The Minister rightly expects that local authorities will consider educational provision when they grant planning permissions for large scale residential developments. I spent 25 years in local government and there are two sides to that story. It is a big ask of county planners to unilaterally say they cannot grant permission for a 50-house development, for example, because access is not available for a school. There must be communication in this regard and this has particularly affected the development of gaelscoileanna in Kerry, of which I approve and support 100%. Very often the enthusiasm to establish a gaelscoil outruns common sense and provision. Gaelscoileanna have started up in unsuitable accommodation such as private houses and the local authority is then expected to provide school wardens, roads, lighting and so on. It is a two-way issue. The Department must put up its hands and get involved as well.

I commend the Minister on her move to rationalise education. She initiated the north Kerry educational review and it has been a great success. It is supported by the trustees of the various schools, parents, teachers and boards of management. If such a hands-on approach were taken on school planning, it might be a better way to go. As Senator Ormonde said, the Minister's heart is in the right place. Money is important to every venture and perhaps it is not as flúirseach as it was over the past five years. We must be sympathetic towards the Minister's position in that respect but the Department has questions to answer and it needs to be more hands on in the provision of school buildings.