Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. St. Aidan's comprehensive school in Cootehill was one of the first three comprehensive schools built by the Government in 1966. It is the flagship school for the comprehensive philosophy of education in providing an education for all in the local community whatever their background. It is the only post-primary school in an area classified as disadvantaged yet the school itself does not enjoy the benefits of disadvantaged status.

The school draws students from 18 feeder schools in a large rural hinterland. The current enrolment is in excess of 510 and it employs a staff, including full-time and part-time, of 45 teachers and ten ancillary staff. In 2008 the school was rated joint second in the county with regard to numbers entering third level education. It is a well-run school with an excellent teaching staff, principal and deputy principal. It has the confidence of the local community.

An application for a refurbishment and extension project was made by the school management in 1998. Some 11 years later, despite frequent efforts to move this project forward, no progress has been made. In 2006, the board of management was sufficiently concerned about the state of the school buildings that it commissioned a health and safety audit of the school building. The resulting 2007 report identified a number of areas of major concern. The first was the roof. The number of significant leaks are a constant health and safety risk from falls and electrical wiring short-circuiting. A roofing consultant's report recommended that the roof be replaced. Continuous leaks have led to the growth of mould in a number of areas and this is a major health and safety concern.

The heating system consists of a 17 year old boiler with no backup and radiators that no longer work properly and cannot be vented. The system has failed on occasions, necessitating the sending home of students. The original pipework is gun barrel and has been completely corroded in places. Repair of underfloor leaks have only resulted in fresh leaks in other sections of the system. A heating consultant has recommended that a new heating system be installed. Many of the rooms are now heated by stand alone oil filled electrical radiators. The building does not meet current standards for insulation because of its age and suffers from significant heat loss as a result. The building is over 40 years old.

The school was originally designed with large windows on every side of the building. These windows are all single glazed and have non-toughened glass. This has been identified as a health and safety hazard throughout the school. The loss of heat from this single glazing and poorly fitted windows is enormous with a direct impact on increased running costs on the already stretched school budget.

The PE hall does not meet the Department of Education and Science size requirements at a time when the Department of Education and Science is introducing PE as an examination subject and significant attention is focussed on trying to encourage young people to live a healthy, active lifestyle. Practical rooms for woodwork and engineering do not meet the Department of Education and Science guidelines on size and storage space.

Minor repairs have been dealt with, within the constraints of the school budget and with the support of the parents' association. An ageing building with no significant refurbishment of the basic fabric continues to incur significant repair and maintenance costs, putting pressure on the school budget and taking away from the provision of other materials and services for the children. The recent financial cutbacks in the budget will result in even less moneys being available for the upkeep of the building.

The school is firmly rooted in the community and is a resource for local people who use this school for a variety of activities including adult education classes, FÁS training programmes, English language classes, training of sports teams and coaching courses etc. Abbot Ireland, a significant employer in the area, has stressed the need for well educated young people with skills in science and technology in particular. The company is very supportive of St. Aidan's refurbishment and extension project as it has benefitted from the high standard of education provided by the school at all levels of the organisation. The fabric of this building has deteriorated and due to its age there is major concern with regard to health and safety and non-compliance with the Department of Education and Science guidelines.

Our young people are our future, they deserve an environment that is healthy and safe in which to learn. This refurbishment and extension project is now 11 years overdue. Work was done on science laboratories in 2007 and on metalwork and woodwork rooms and the flat roof, as was done on all schools nationally. A consultant's report has since stated that the entire roof needs replacement. This is a serious crisis for an excellent school and community. The building is out of date in a modern context. I appeal to the Minister of State to take this matter seriously.