Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív, to the House and thank Senator O'Reilly for allowing me a few moments of his time on this Adjournment matter. I raised this matter on the Adjournment on 29 May this year, and unfortunately, nothing has moved on since that date. Senator O'Reilly, while he did not speak on the matter because he was away, was very much associated with it.

As Senator O'Reilly pointed out, Laragh national school in Stradone, County Cavan, was built in 1963. Originally designed as a three-teacher school, it now has 130 pupils, five mainstream teachers, one part-time resource teacher, one learning support teacher, three special needs assistants and one school secretary, which is a total of 11 staff. Three prefabricated buildings were added to the structure in 1972 when Caulfield and Carrickallen national schools amalgamated with Laragh national school. A further prefabricated building was provided in September 2001. There are only two permanent classrooms, the rest of the accommodation being prefabricated. The condition of the prefabricated accommodation is deplorable despite the best efforts of boards of management over the years. Asbestos panels were removed from the prefabricated buildings approximately six years ago and replaced with plywood, which is now rotting, and the roofs are leaking.

The Department is well aware of this school as I and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Smith, have continually brought it to the attention of the present Minister and previous Ministers. The Minister of State, Deputy Haughey, in his reply on 29 May, stated that the proposed extension and refurbishment of Laragh national school had been assigned a band rating of 2.1. We want to know the up-to-date position from the Minister for Education and Science, through his colleague, the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. It is one of two or three schools within the county, but this school in particular is in a deplorable condition. Councillors Michael McCarey and Gerry Murray and Mr. Pat Smith of the school's board of management, along with the school principal, Donall O'Donnchadha, have been writing to me and Senator O'Reilly. The morale of the staff is at an all-time low, not to mention the morale of the students who are expected to be educated in these deplorable conditions.

Two options are available to the Department, as Senator O'Reilly has pointed out: a total refurbishment of the existing school plus the construction of a permanent extension, or a new school on a greenfield site provided by the parish. I urge the Minister of State to enlighten us and give us some positive news. It will not take much money to get the school that these people in Laragh deserve. I thank the Minister for being here and I thank Senator O'Reilly again for allowing me time to speak on this matter.