Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for his attendance and for taking this Adjournment matter. I wish to make the case for Holy Rosary College, Mountbellew, County Galway, to get its own PE hall. It is a large secondary school in Mountbellew, which is in north-east County Galway. that never has had its own PE hall or gymnasium. Both Senator Mullen and I speak from experience in this case because we both are past students of the school and I have a particular interest in this case for that reason.

I will provide the Minister of State with a brief summary of the background. Holy Rosary College was approved for a new school building in 1968, which was to include a PE hall. However, due to a difficult financial situation at the time, more than 40 years ago, a PE hall was not sanctioned. Since then, the school has endeavoured consistently to acquire a PE hall and a major extension to the school to include a PE hall, as well as refurbishment of the existing building, was agreed with the Department of Education and Science in 2000. Following advertisement of the project in the EU Journal, the design team was appointed eight years ago on 1 February 2001. A stage 1 submission for site suitability, briefing and site report was made to the Department of Education and Science on 2 November 2001. Seven years ago, the Minister of State's colleague, the then Minister of State with responsibility for science and technology, Deputy Treacy, officially opened the school's new physics lab on 26 February 2002. At that time, Deputy Treacy met a staff delegation after the opening and expressed confidence that this project would move ahead quickly. The then Minister of State, Deputy Treacy, referred to the school's PE facilities as being Third World in nature, in that it possessed only outdoor PE facilities, such as basketball courts etc. The school had meetings with departmental officials on 18 July 2002 and 26 February 2002. The next meeting with departmental officials took place in February 2007, after a lapse of five years during which there was no communication. Moreover, it has taken from February 2001, when the design team was appointed, to arrive at this point and in February 2009, the school still awaits stage 3 approval. Within the last month, on 15 January 2009, the school again wrote to the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, pointing out the completely inadequate PE facilities possessed by Holy Rosary College, Mountbellew. In a time of severe financial constraints in schools, it has become impossible for the school to continue to pay for the hire of a sports facility in a local hall. At present, it is paying €20,000 per year in rent. It has been waiting for 41 years for proper PE facilities and while all the school's teachers have been trained in the junior certificate physical education programme, they have no place in which to implement it.

The gains in this regard are obvious. There are lifelong gains for young people who have been trained in good physical education habits, as well as obvious educational outcomes. Above all, however, there are health benefits, as efforts are made to contravene the rise in obesity. The Minister of State should indicate to Members when approval in respect of funding will be made for the PE hall and when construction is likely to commence.