Alan Kelly (Labour)

I thank the Chair for accepting this motion on the Adjournment. I also welcome the Minister of State.

The reason I raise the motion is to make the case for two vocational schools in north Tipperary, Nenagh and Borrisokane, to be moved up the list of school building projects sanctioned by the Department. They should be two of the main priorities. In my travels throughout Munster I have not seen two schools more in need of upgrading. Only for the dedication of the two school principals, Mr. Michael McNulty and Mr. Matthew Carr, they would not exist. Mr. McNulty is principal of Nenagh vocational school and a woodwork teacher by training. In the evenings and at weekends he maintains the school. He does more maintenance work than anything else. He hangs doors and fixes walls and ceilings, because if he did not, the school would fall down.

I doubt that if these schools were the subject of a full health and safety audit, particularly Nenagh vocational school, they would pass. The plethora of works required to be done is astonishing. Both schools have reached phase three on the schools building projects list, but have been stuck there for a long time. They were built in the 1970s and have not been upgraded since. Many in the region believe North Tipperary VEC is being discriminated against for some reason and do not know the reason the schools kept being pushed back on the list.

Nenagh vocational school does not have enough sockets to work equipment. As it suffers from power surges, computers are constantly blowing. The metalwork room is marked off by a yellow line half way across which students are not allowed to pass because there are so many leaks in the roof and water is getting into equipment. The fear is that some student will be badly injured. Showers in the school have not worked for 20 years. The school won the schools all-Ireland hurling title, yet it does not have showers that work. That is scandalous. It also suffers from a lack of insulation and the heating only works properly on one side of the building. It has to be turned on and off in order that one side does not get too warm and the other does not get too cold. Parents must help in cleaning the school. Because of the constant leaks and problems with the roof there is a need for constant maintenance by volunteers.

There are similar problems at Borrisokane. I have never seen a problem similar to one in the school where two classrooms have no windows. Therefore, there is little ventilation and no natural light. By any standards, let alone the standards expected in 2008, that is a disgrace. The school also has issues with eating facilities. An issue expected to arise in the coming year is that the school expects to enrol a student who uses a wheelchair, yet there will be no way for that student to move around the school.

The matter is urgent. The schools have tried their best with the Department but receive no response from it or the civil servants. They cannot get information on the reason they are stuck at phase three. Another aspect is the investment made by both schools. Nenagh vocational school has spent €290,000 to date on drawing up plans and doing the necessary work to reach phase three. Borrisokane vocational school has spent €369,000. If there is no movement soon, that money will be wasted. We are all aware there is a time limit. It is ridiculous that more than €600,000 has been spent to date on getting these schools to phase three, but they have not been allowed proceed. I challenge the Minister to come and visit them. I also challenge him to name any school he has seen which should have greater priority than Nenagh and Borrisokane vocational schools which are in a desperate state. The health and safety issues are significant. I do not want to hear some morning that a student has been badly injured in one of them. We must act now and nip the problem in the bud.

The schools offer significant community services and are available in the evenings. They offer important PLC courses to significant numbers. They do much work below the radar working with various groups, yet they do not have proper facilities. I urge the Minister of State to find out their exact position on the list and the reason they are so far down and stuck at phase three. I have visited schools all over Munster and have not seen cases as bad as these. These two schools are located in my home area.