Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)

In 1997 the Department recognised that a new school was warranted. It was originally a small two-teacher school and now has 11 or 12 teachers. What concerns me most is that there is a total of nine prefabs on the school grounds and the square footage of the prefabs quadruples the original size of the old school. It is worrying that one of the prefabs is 26 years old and falling apart, another is 20 years old, one is ten years old, one eight years old, and so on. I do not blame the Minister but the year-on-year cost of these prefabs is more than €53,000. With current low interest rates that would service a loan of approximately €1.25 million. Over ten or 15 years, had it been built in 1997, that school would have been paid for without this waste of money on prefabs that are not conducive to a good education and are inappropriate.

I do not blame the Minister but it annoyed me that the Office of Public Works identified a site, a planning application was submitted and then another agent of the Government, the local authority, refused planning and proposed an alternative site, never thinking that this had gone on for ten or 20 years. The local authority could have been of a broader mind and given planning. If the planning had been granted the school would have been built by now. It is a disgrace there is such a delay. It is a very old chestnut and I hate bringing it up again because people can say our Government has been in power for a long time. However, it is so frustrating for the 11 teachers, the parents and the pupils that it is worth raising in the Seanad. I am delighted to see Senator McCarthy supporting the call.