Seanad debates
Tuesday, 17 December 2002
Adjournment Matters. - Schools Building Projects.
Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Chair for taking this matter about school buildings in County Galway on the Adjournment. I also thank the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science, Deputy de Valera, for coming to the House.
I am concerned about the 400 building projects on the Department's programme, particularly the 40 in County Galway which are at architectural planning stage. Five of these projects are in Galway city and 35 are in the county. Galway and Dublin are the two counties with the highest numbers of schools at this stage of planning. I know the Minister intends to publish the expenditure proposals for school building in January. I urge him to advise schools of their position at this point.
There is a real need to provide funding for primary schools and I hope the Department's priority will be to invest in primary education. It is the sector most in need of funding at present. I raised the issue of getting low cost buildings when the Minister of State was last in the Seanad. The question of professional fees has arisen and even with prefabricated buildings there is a need for architects, engineers and planning. I do not believe we need to spend so much on professional fees.
While there are 35 school projects in Galway county at the architectural planning stage, there are also a number of schools which need assistance urgently. Four schools in north Galway, two of which are in adjoining parishes, have applied for new buildings. Cahergal near Tuam has applied for a new school and in the same parish Bearna Dearg national school is on the list for improvements. In the adjoining parish Newtown girls' national school and Brierfield national school need assistance and I hope progress will be made on them next year.
I remind the Minister of State of the urgency of investing in primary education. The Department has invested in remedial teachers, resource teachers, classroom assistants and the psychological service, but it has fallen down badly in terms of providing new buildings. I hope the Department will be able to provide information in the new year regarding its plans to spend money on primary education.
Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Unfortunately, I do not need to be reminded of my birthdays from here on in. However, I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for mentioning it.
I thank Senator Kitt for raising this matter. It gives me the opportunity of outlining to the House the achievements of the Government in addressing the accommodation needs of primary schools. I assure Senators that the programme of capital investment in the primary sector will continue and that the allocation of €147 million for 2003 will enable the Minister for Education and Science to consolidate the considerable progress that has been made in recent years. Admittedly, in view of current economic realities and the tightening of the financial position, the rate of progress in 2003 will be somewhat slower than he would have liked.
As a result of past under-investment over the course of decades, many schools are in a poor state of repair and require substantial funding for upgrading to meet modern requirements. It will not be possible to improve the accommodation situation in all schools overnight and deal with emerging needs at the same time.
Capital expenditure on primary buildings in 2002 will be €172.6 million. As a result of the Government's commitment to funding educational infrastructure, in excess of 120 major capital projects in the primary sector have recently been completed or are currently under construction. Many of these projects will continue in construction into 2003. The 400 major primary school projects in architectural planning that are listed on the Department's website were not included in the 2002 construction programme. Because they are major projects, they have to go through a detailed process of architectural planning which will take a considerable period to complete.
The starting date for construction of any major school building project depends on factors such as the size of the project, the complexity of the architectural planning, land acquisition where necessary, sorting out title, the period of time required for the granting of planning permission and obtaining a fire certificate, the outcome of the tender competition and the procurement of bonds, insurance and tax clearance by prospective contractors. It is the Department's intention to release the projects in architectural planning to construction on a phased basis over a number of years.
The Minister for Education and Science will look closely at the potential for using PPP mechanisms and the concept advanced in An Agreed Programme for Government of a multi-annual programme schools modernisation fund to be financed through the National Development Finance Agency. For the information of the House and, in particular, Senator Kitt, the Minister intends to publish his expenditure proposals for primary school buildings in the new year. The Department's website will be updated at regular intervals from that point on.
As Senators will recall, there was a comprehensive debate in the Seanad some days ago in relation to primary school infrastructure. In his contribution to that debate, Senator Kitt made a number of very succinct and practical points. Naturally, he mentioned his own constituency of Galway East on that occasion. In his contribution tonight, he again outlined a number of projects which need to be addressed in that area. He can rest assured that publication of the expenditure proposals for primary schools will help to clarify the position on a number of questions he would, no doubt, wish to ask in that regard. In the recent debate to which I referred, the Senator also mentioned his proposals as to how best we might provide buildings in the most practical and cost-effective way for primary school students. I have passed on those proposals to the Minister for Education and Science for his consideration.