Seanad debates

Wednesday, 17 November 2010

7:00 pm

Photo of Ciarán CuffeCiarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

I am pleased to reply on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, who, unfortunately, cannot be present. I thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to outline the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and also the provision of accommodation for Calasanctius College in County Galway.

I certainly believe that this information should be available on the website of the Department of Education and Skills. The up-to-date position on any school proposal and facility in the country should be available for everyone to see at any time. It would make matters much more clear and transparent if such information were readily available on the Department's website.

Modernising facilities in our existing building stock as well as the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth is a significant challenge. The Government has shown a consistent determination to improve the condition of our school buildings and to ensure the appropriate facilities are in place to enable the implementation of a broad and balanced curriculum.

All applications for capital funding are assessed in the planning and building unit of the Department of Education and Skills against published prioritisation criteria, which were formulated following consultation with the education partners. The assessment process determines the extent and type of accommodation needed based on population growth, demographic trends, current and projected enrolments, recent and planned housing developments and the capacity of existing schools to meet the demand for pupil places. As part of this process, a project is assigned a band rating under the prioritisation criteria, which I have mentioned. There are four band ratings in all, with band one being the highest and band four being the lowest. Band one projects, for example, include the provision of schools where none currently exists but where there is a high demand for pupils places, while a band four project provides for desirable but not necessarily urgent or essential facilities.

Projects are selected for inclusion in the school building and modernisation programme on the basis of priority of need. This is reflected in the band rating assigned to them. In other words, a building project moves through the system commensurate with the band rating assigned to it and as it is ready to proceed. As the Senator will be aware, a new building for Calasanctius College was opened only four years ago. Since then the area has experienced significant population growth and the school currently has enrolments of almost 750 students.

Representatives from Calasanctius College met Department officials in February 2010 to discuss accommodation issues at the school and sought funding for the provision of additional permanent accommodation on a phased basis to cater for an enrolment of 864 pupils when all the accommodation had been delivered. The first phase was to deliver sufficient accommodation by September 2010 to cater for 747 pupils. The Department considered this application and approved a significant devolved grant to the school authority in March 2010 for delivery of phase one of the extension project by September 2010. This extension will provide an additional six general classrooms, an office, a store and a linking corridor, bringing total additional accommodation to 344 sq. m.

The school wrote to the Department again in September 2010 advising that phase one was well under way and would be complete by December 2010. In this context, it sought approval to proceed with the delivery of the second phase. Subsequently, the Tánaiste met the school authority on 27 October 2010. At this meeting it was noted that the second phase had a significant projected cost attached and would be considered a major capital project. Further details relating to this phase have been sought and the matter will be considered further by officials in the Department.

The Senator will understand that it is not possible to progress all projects at the same time as resources must be in place to complete the project. The proposal from Calasanctius College will be considered in the context of the needs identified and resources available to the Department. I thank the Senator again for allowing me the opportunity to outline the position of Calasanctius College.

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