Ray Butler (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to talk about the Department of Education and Skills and thank the new Minister for his quick response in providing measures to deal with the school buildings that have structural failures.

I refer to the issue of leaving schools vacant when the school moves to another location. There are former school sites in four areas in my constituency, namely, Trim, Athboy, Kildalkey and Kells. Last week, the old convent on Patrick Street, Trim, caught fire. In Athboy, a company is interested in buying the old site. I got involved with the board of management. We sent an email to the Department which replied that it is doing a survey on the needs of the local school community. I believe it is dragging its heels in that regard because I can provide it with those figures. There is ample space for pupils in the two schools. The interested company would bring jobs to the local community. A new school has opened in Kildalkey. We have a site but it has been vandalised already. We have the new Eureka secondary school in Kells, and there is an old site in that location.

These sites are being left vacant but surely we can give them to community groups under Government schemes which might use them to run coffee shops or community centres. It is terrible to see these buildings vacant and left in ruins in rural Ireland.I would like the Minister to come to the House. Legislation should be brought in so these sites are not left vacant for years, going to rack and ruin and being destroyed.