Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for coming to the House to hear this issue on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science. The issue is related to a 2005 application by Gaeilscoil Philib Barún in Tramore, County Waterford. The school management has applied for a permanent building because the school is currently housed in a completely prefabricated building. I am sure that everyone agrees that is an unsustainable position.

Tramore is the largest town in County Waterford and has increased in size rapidly in recent years. It is now larger than Dungarvan, which is the civic headquarters of the county. It is about seven miles from Waterford city and the gaeilscoil, operating under the principal, Mr. Dáithí de Paor, and his staff, is very successful in the promotion of the Irish language in County Waterford. They are becoming increasingly frustrated in their correspondence with the Department. It is appropriate the Minister is present given our discussion with him yesterday on sustainable planning for urban areas, of which Tramore is one. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has issued guidelines which call for greater collaboration between Departments and local authorities and communities. In the case I raise, a community established a Gaelscoil to respond to its needs and received support from the local authority. However, since 2005, it has received no grounds for hope from the Department of Education and Science that a new school will be built. A design team has not even been appointed. This must be considered in light of ongoing debate on the need for sustainable communities and promoting education for young people.

Senators Brian Ó Domhnaill and Pearse Doherty will shortly discuss the need to provide physical education facilities in schools in County Donegal. In Tramore we seek a badly-needed building to house students and staff, although physical education facilities will also be needed.

Much work remains to be done. From the perspective of sustainable planning, as communities grow progress must be made to improve co-operation and collaboration between local authorities and Departments. I welcome the Minister's efforts to achieve this objective in the planning guidelines.

I am hopeful the Minister will give me some positive news or at least an indication that a design team will be appointed. Surely this step should be taken at an early stage as part of forward planning. Three years down the road, a design team has still not been appointed and the school hopes the project will proceed to the planning stage. Construction remains some way off. The Minister will agree that residents of areas such as Tramore which are not receiving the required service from Departments are frustrated, particularly given that we are repeatedly told that plenty of money is available for services and facilities. I look forward to the reply.

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I thank the Senator for raising this matter as it provides me with an opportunity to outline to the Seanad the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and the current position regarding Gaelscoil Philib Barún, Tramore. All applications for capital funding are assessed in the modernisation and policy unit of the Department of Education and Science. The assessment process determines the extent and type of need presenting based on the demographics of an area, proposed housing developments, condition of buildings, site capacity, etc., leading ultimately to an appropriate accommodation solution.

As part of this process, a project is assigned a band rating under published prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects. These criteria were devised following consultation with the education partners. 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 a project. In other words, a proposed building project moves through the system commensurate with the band rating assigned to it.

Funding to address the capital investment requirements of approximately 3,200 primary and 730 post-primary schools is ongoing. The Government has dramatically increased investment in the school building programme from slightly more than €90 million in 1997 to €586.2 million this year. Under the lifetime of the national development plan, almost €4.5 billion will be invested in schools. This is an unprecedented level of capital investment which reflects the commitment of the Government to continue its programme of sustained investment in primary and post-primary schools.

On the specific matter in hand, the application for a new school for Gaelscoil Philib Barún, Tramore, was assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects and assigned a 2.2 band rating. Having regard to competing demands on the building programme for funding for higher priority projects, it was not possible to progress the building project for Gaelscoil Philib Barún, Tramore.

The programme for Government contains a commitment to establish a developing areas unit. This unit was recently established and will focus on the school accommodation needs of rapidly developing areas, including Tramore. The main emphasis in 2008 is on providing sufficient school places in these developing areas, as well as delivering improvements in the quality of existing primary and post-primary school accommodation throughout the country. In this context, the status of the project for Gaelscoil Philib Barún will be reassessed and banded accordingly. As is the case with all large capital projects currently on hand within the developing areas unit, progression of the project to tender and construction will be considered in the context of the multiannual school building and modernisation programme.

I thank the Senator again for affording me the opportunity to outline to the Seanad the current position regarding Gaelscoil Philib Barún, Tramore.

Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)
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While I accept the Minister, Deputy Gormley, is not directly responsible, his response contained buzzwords such as "assessment", "2.2 band rating", "priority of need", "increased investment" and "capital projects". I, and I am sure many in the House, do not know what these terms mean. To me they are bureaucratic speak.

I do not doubt the capital funding is available and the programme for Government is proactive in delivering it. However, there is a need for a permanent building for the gaelscoil in Tramore. Three years after the first application, a design team has not even been appointed.

These issues will confront the Minister when promoting his guidelines for sustainable planning for urban design. One can have all the guidelines one wants. However, only when Departments are streamlined, red tape is removed and heads banged together with local authorities, school boards and Departments will real progress be achieved. If we can focus on these areas, the programme for Government will achieve real targets.