Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I raise the issue of a school called Edmonton school, which is just south of Delvin, County Westmeath. Recently the management were delighted to hear that they were successful in their application for a new classroom and that they were to receive a grant of approximately €220,000. The school board, the principal, my local Deputy, Robert Troy, Councillor John Shaw and I feel that a genuine mistake has been made in this case.The recommendation was to build a stand-alone classroom, something which is rarely heard of as the Leader will appreciate. The first complication with the stand-alone classroom is that, if one looks at the maps, the site is very unsuitable. This is borne out by engineers, architects and the board of management. Even to myself, coming into it from a little further afield, what has been recommended would seem quite absurd.

Second, it is vastly more expensive to construct when there is already an existing modular structure in place in the school. Third, there will be internal disruption in the school as children and staff cannot circulate in the way that is the norm in any modern school facility. Finally, the board, the principal, myself, Deputy Robert Troy and Councillor John Shaw feel that there was a genuine mistake made in this regard. Perhaps there was a clerical error or something of that nature. The Leader might ask the Department and the Minister if they will look at this matter urgently, because this will be ready for the summer works programme and work could begin on it in the near future.