Dominic Hannigan (Labour)

I thank the Cathaoirleach for permitting me to raise this matter which relates to the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Science allowing the authorities at Ashbourne community school to go to tender in respect of the construction of a new sports hall. As the Minister of State may be aware, Ashbourne is a growing town located just outside Dublin. Ashbourne community school was built in 1993 to accommodate 650 pupils. The first sod on the project was turned by my party's former Minister for Education, Niamh Bhreathnach. The school has flourished since 1993 and is now home to 1,000 students. In light of the expected population growth in the area, it is anticipated the number of children at the school may continue to rise.

There is no sports hall at Ashbourne community school and since it was opened, the students have been obliged to use a nearby sports hall which is leased from an organisation. Students and their parents would like this matter, which they asked me to raise, to be rectified. In recent years, those involved at the school have been trying to resolve this problem and have raised a great deal of money to move the process along. They have also developed a design, which has been approved by Meath County Council and which makes provision not just for a sports hall but also for the inclusion of a canteen.

At present, some children are obliged to eat their lunch in the corridors of the school because there is nowhere else for them to sit down. As already stated, the school population is expanding and the children to whom I refer need somewhere to sit and eat lunch and also to exercise. The county council has granted full planning permission and the necessary funding is, more or less, in place. The national lottery has agreed to provide €200,000, the Department, which owns the school, will provide up to €900,000, the county council is to give €150,000 and the parents have raised €200,000. This means approximately €1.5 million in funding is in place. All that is required is for the Minister to allow the authorities at the school to invite tenders in respect of the project.

There is unanimous agreement among local people that this sports hall is required. I pay tribute to the Minister of State's party colleague, Deputy Wallace, who has been to the forefront in trying to progress the project in recent years. We are all singing from the same hymn sheet in respect of this matter.

There are three good reasons why this sports hall should be built. The first relates to the health of students. The last thing we want is a further increase in levels of obesity and a new sports hall will assist in countering this. The second is that tender prices are at a historic low and, as a result, the work can be done at a greatly reduced cost. The third is that local people who were previously employed in the construction industry and who are now out of work will have the opportunity to obtain jobs. Therefore, I encourage the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Science to allow this project to move to the next stage, that is, inviting tenders for construction.