Michael McCarthy (Labour)

I thank Senator Boyle for his ecumenical gesture and I welcome the Minister of State to the House.

I attended a public meeting on Monday night in Kinsale community school regarding its much needed extension. The experience was similar to those felt by other Members of this House. The school principal was told on 5 April 2007 that the extension was urgent, but on 22 April 2008 it was classified as an early stage development. From where did the change come? Why did it go from "urgent" in April 2007 to "early stage" in April 2008?

There were public representatives at the meeting, but we could not answer any of these questions. What type of language is being used here? Why does the Minister select different phrases to describe various stages without providing a clear timeline or giving guidelines? Public representatives could be then allowed to do our duty by informing people of what they can expect and when they can expect it.

I also have a proposal regarding Gaelscoil Chloch na gCoillte. This school is in operation since the mid-1990s. A total of 28 prefabs are being rented on a site which is also being rented. It costs around €300,000 per annum to operate that Gaelscoil. In 1997, the principal met with the then newly appointed Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Martin, and proposed that the Department guarantee a mortgage that would be taken out by the board of management and repaid by the board. The board would use the then equivalent of €300,000 per annum to pay back the mortgage. It was a new departure from practice and thinking, and the Minister stated it was an eminently sensible suggestion. Yet here we are 11 years later and the suggestion has never been followed through, in spite of all the dead money paid in rent since.

The devolved works scheme allowed some imprimatur from the board, but unfortunately that is no more. Such an idea would take people who have lost their jobs in construction off social welfare, which is a saving to the Exchequer, and put them into a revenue contributing status. That is something that merits investigation by the Department. If the State can guarantee banks, it can surely guarantee mortgages for our schools. In conclusion, we need transparency and accountability in relation to the schools building programme.