Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

The motion I have put down concerns whether the Minister is aware that the electrical contractor for Bunbeg national school has stated the school's electrics are in a very dangerous state. The reason I posed this question instead of asking when the school will be allowed to progress to the tender and construction stage is that I have asked that question umpteen times and I have received the same type of response the Minister of State gave to Senator Ó Domhnaill, which is appalling.

This school and many others have been waiting for many years, in some cases decades, for works to be carried out. Children are going through the whole education system in schools that are not fit for them. The debate in the Seanad earlier highlighted the problems in the schools building programme.

What sparked me to raise this matter was the continuous campaign by the parents, board of management and staff of the school. What also sparked me was the kick in the face for that school and other schools represented by the announcement two weeks ago of the schools building programme, which involved 25 schools out of approximately 1,300 on the school building list.

It is appalling that the Government is treating the children of this nation with contempt. The question is very clear. I know the answer because I have furnished the Minister with the electrical report from the contractor. The report states that the contractor has concluded that the electrics in the school are in a very dangerous state due to the fact that they are more than 50 years old, the consumer board being completely out of date and not having proper tripping protection, not having a proper earth rod or earthing system, the socket circuits being overloaded and not protected from mechanical damage and a lack of a fire alarm system in the school which leaves it very unsafe.

I want a clear answer from the Minister, and not the same type of answer I received from this and previous Ministers when they are asked for information on school buildings. The Minister spoke earlier in the Chamber about being transparent. The answers we are getting are not transparent. They give nothing to us as representatives, and it gives no reassurance to the community, the board of management, the parents or the staff. Is the Minister aware that tomorrow morning, over 100 pupils will be going into a building which is unsafe? He is paying staff to work in a building which is unsafe. The type of regulations which apply to school buildings would not be applied to a business in any part of Ireland or the world. One would not allow works to go into a building which is unsafe.

I am highlighting this point because this school needs to be allowed to urgently progress to the next stage. In the response the Minister gave to Senator Ó Domhnaill, it stated that the design team has been asked about suitable accommodation. That question was asked months if not years ago and answers have been received. Language such as "we are currently looking at the options" is simply putting back the issue.

There needs to be a commitment for this school because it is unsafe. There are other issues. The school does not have ancillary facilities, it does not have a PE hall or proper library and the rooms are too small and are not up to the standard the Department sets for new builds. I attended that school, my sister and cousin teach there and my uncle is a former headmaster. Deputy McGinley was also a headmaster of the school. I have an interest in it. The school, and the children who attend it, deserve the same as children in other schools in Donegal. Some of the schools are excellent. I commend the Government where it has invested in new builds. The facilities available are excellent but the children in that school, and in countless others, deserve the same type of respect from this Minister and Government.