Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein)

Last December, when the Minister for Education and Skills announced details of the education infrastructure plan for 2012, St. Mary's national school in Virginia was omitted from his list. In April the Minister published the five year infrastructure plan, which outlines when the major projects needed to cater for demographic growth will be completed. Some 77 schools were given the green light to replace rented prefabs with permanent classrooms but, again, St. Mary's was omitted from the list. The Department's press release on the plan states: "alongside the 77 schools who have been approved, the Department of Education and Skills is considering a further 110 schools in this scheme to replace prefabs." Is St. Mary's being considered for the replacement of prefabs or the extension it has been waiting on for the last eight years?

The major growth experienced in Virginia and surrounding areas has resulted in an influx of families and increased demand for school accommodation. The most recent census figures indicate that the population of Virginia changed by 31.6% between 2006 and 2011, in large part due to its location along the commuter belt and its close proximity of Dublin. In March the school enrolled its 80th student since September and its total enrolment now stands at 380 students. These statistics do not appear to be reflected in the schools building programme for 2012.

What is the current status of St. Mary's, what is required for it to move to the next stage and when does the Minister envisage that the extension will be approved? The school is not even mentioned in the six tables on the Department's website which set out details of the building programme for 2012. When I sought further information from the website on the current stage of the plans for the extension I came across two documents. The first, which was dated 5 April 2007, set out the schools which were starting architectural planning for building and modernisation works and the second, dated 10 June 2011, listed major projects at architectural planning stage. Despite a gap of four years between these documents there has been no update or movement on the project since the most recent was published last year.

Understandably, parents, staff and even students are frustrated about this delay. I urge the Minister to expedite the project. The school is using 11 portakabins to accommodate its students at a cost of €80,000 per year. If it is not included in the current five year infrastructure plan, it will be 2017 before it is on the next list and construction will not be completed until 2020. Where is the economic efficiency in renting 11 prefabs until such time as we can build badly needed classrooms? The school community is being kept in limbo even though eight years have passed since the project was commenced. It suggests negligence on the part of the Department that nothing has been done on the issue. Why has the project been shelved and when will the Department dust it off and construct the new extension to the school?