Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)
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I am glad to have the opportunity to refer to a number of educational projects in my area that are being considered by the Department at present. Each board of management and parent group is anxiously awaiting a positive decision thereon.

There was a very interesting debate on education this evening. I particularly welcomed the comments by the Minister to the effect that he intends to reintroduce the summer works scheme in 2009. This will be greatly welcomed by many school authorities throughout the country.

I very much welcome the fact that 25 school projects were approved nationally last week, one of which was Dooish national school in my constituency, Donegal South-West. Other schools in the constituency are being considered by the Department.

The first of the schools to which I want to refer is Scoil Chonaill Naofa, An Bun Beag. Its board of management applied to upgrade the electrical works and for the provision of additional accommodation at the school in 1998. The proposal is for six full-size classrooms plus ancillary accommodation. Planning permission for the project has been approved. On 25 April 2006, the then Minister for Education and Science approved the project to proceed to tender and construction. However, the project has not yet progressed past this stage. The school has obtained an electrical report from a local contractor which outlines that the electrical works at the school are very dangerous and totally unsatisfactory. The board of management, pupils and their parents want the project to proceed. They want formal approval from the Minister to allow it because the current conditions are unsafe. The board conveyed this view directly to the Minister and Department. I must impress upon the Minister the need to have the project approved.

Scoil Mhuire national school, Creeslough, which is also in my constituency, has made an application for capital funding towards the provision of additional accommodation and the upgrading of the current accommodation because it is expected the pupil numbers at the school will rise. An assessment of projected enrolment trends, demographic trends and housing developments in the area was carried out by the Department and this information is now available. The assessment work, which has now been finalised, has given the Department figures on future pupil numbers and so on. Pupils are currently in substandard accommodation so it is another project I hope can be progressed in the near future.

The third project is one I raised in the House in March last with Senator Doherty, namely, the physical education hall project at Pobal Scoil Gaoth Dobhair. This is urgently needed for the physical activity which is important for the progression and development of pupils. The school was constructed in 1982 without a sports hall. Decisions were made in June 2006 and May 2007 and confirmation was given by the Minister for Education and Science to allow the construction of the PE hall to proceed. What is sought at this stage is that the Minister would allow this project to progress. It is one of very few second level schools in the country without a gymnasium for indoor sports activities.

Finally, I wish to refer to the national school in my home village of Gortahork. The Office of Public Works has identified a site in agreement with the board of management. The site is suitable and this has been conveyed to the Department of Education and Science. The board of management is awaiting approval from the Department towards the acquisition of the site and I call for that to happen.

I look forward to the Minister of State's response in regard to these projects. While I fully appreciate there are financial constraints, these projects are important to the children, parents and communities of Donegal South-West. I hope the Minister of State will have good news for us this evening.

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator for providing me with the opportunity to outline the Government's strategy for capital investment in school infrastructure and to outline the current position in regard to the four schools in question. The Senator will appreciate that the Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, has to manage the Department of Education and Science's capital budget in a responsible manner and, in so doing, must ensure that funding is targeted at schools most in need. This is why the Department introduced prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects which were formulated following consultation with the education partners.

Thousands of building projects were carried out under the last national development plan to provide new and modernised educational infrastructure and thousands more will be carried out under the current national development plan. However, there must be an order as to how this happens and a realisation that not all building projects can proceed together.

The extent of the demand on the capital budget is enormous, providing, as it does, accommodation for new communities together with accommodation for the unprecedented number of extra teachers which the Government has put into the system. We also have to modernise much of the existing stock as a result of historical under-investment. This will not all be achieved overnight but we have made huge inroads and we will continue to build on our success under the last national development plan when we delivered 7,800 building projects. However, as I have said, this must be done in an orderly and planned manner and on the basis of the most pressing need.

As part of the assessment of all applications for capital funding by the planning and building unit of the Department, each project is assigned a band rating under published prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects. Projects are selected for inclusion in the school building and modernisation programme on the basis of priority of need which is reflected in the band rating assigned to a project.

To address the projects of particular concern to the Senator, the first school, Scoil Náisiúnta Gort a Choirce, has a priority band rating of 2.2 and requires a site acquisition for further progression. The Office of Public Works, which acts generally on behalf of the Department in regard to site acquisitions for schools, was requested to source a suitable site for the new school building. On foot of advertising a number of proposals were received and one of these was identified as the preferred option. The OPW entered negotiations with the vendor for the acquisition of this site but agreement could not be reached with the vendor on price and the OPW re-advertised. Following the necessary re-advertisement, a number of proposals were received including the previous preferred option. The OPW again deemed this site the most suitable and again entered into negotiations with the vendor for its acquisition and an agreement on price was eventually reached. The acquisition of the site for the school will be considered in the context of the capital budget available to the Department for school buildings generally.

With regard to the second school referred to, Creeslough national school, the Department has assessed the school's application and has determined that the long-term accommodation requirements for this school would be for a principal, eight mainstream assistants and ancillary staff. This application, which has a band-rating of 2.2, has not yet commenced architectural planning.

With regard to the third school referred to, Scoil Chonaill, Bunbeg, the design team on the project is currently working on stage 4-5 documentation and planning permission has been received. Clarification regarding the provision of temporary accommodation for the duration of the project was requested from the design team and its response is currently being examined by the Department's technical staff. The project has a band-rating of 2.1.

With regard to the fourth school referred to, Pobal Scoil Gaoth Dobhair, this project which involves the provision of a new PE hall is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. While it is not possible at this stage to be precise about when this project will go to construction because of higher competing priorities, and the Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, refers in particular to the need to provide new schools in rapidly developing areas, the Minister can say that the project will be considered for progression on an ongoing basis as the school building and modernisation programme is rolled out.

All of the school building projects referred to by the Senator will be considered in the context of the school building and modernisation programme for 2009 and beyond. Again, I thank the Senator for raising this matter and point out that over the lifetime of the national development plan, the Government is providing funding of €4.5 billion for school buildings. This will be the largest investment programme in schools in the history of the State and it will enable the Department to ensure school places are available where they are needed. This investment will allow the Department to continue the schools building programme which commenced during the lifetime of the last national development plan.

Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)
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The motion I have put down concerns whether the Minister is aware that the electrical contractor for Bunbeg national school has stated the school's electrics are in a very dangerous state. The reason I posed this question instead of asking when the school will be allowed to progress to the tender and construction stage is that I have asked that question umpteen times and I have received the same type of response the Minister of State gave to Senator Ó Domhnaill, which is appalling.

This school and many others have been waiting for many years, in some cases decades, for works to be carried out. Children are going through the whole education system in schools that are not fit for them. The debate in the Seanad earlier highlighted the problems in the schools building programme.

What sparked me to raise this matter was the continuous campaign by the parents, board of management and staff of the school. What also sparked me was the kick in the face for that school and other schools represented by the announcement two weeks ago of the schools building programme, which involved 25 schools out of approximately 1,300 on the school building list.

It is appalling that the Government is treating the children of this nation with contempt. The question is very clear. I know the answer because I have furnished the Minister with the electrical report from the contractor. The report states that the contractor has concluded that the electrics in the school are in a very dangerous state due to the fact that they are more than 50 years old, the consumer board being completely out of date and not having proper tripping protection, not having a proper earth rod or earthing system, the socket circuits being overloaded and not protected from mechanical damage and a lack of a fire alarm system in the school which leaves it very unsafe.

I want a clear answer from the Minister, and not the same type of answer I received from this and previous Ministers when they are asked for information on school buildings. The Minister spoke earlier in the Chamber about being transparent. The answers we are getting are not transparent. They give nothing to us as representatives, and it gives no reassurance to the community, the board of management, the parents or the staff. Is the Minister aware that tomorrow morning, over 100 pupils will be going into a building which is unsafe? He is paying staff to work in a building which is unsafe. The type of regulations which apply to school buildings would not be applied to a business in any part of Ireland or the world. One would not allow works to go into a building which is unsafe.

I am highlighting this point because this school needs to be allowed to urgently progress to the next stage. In the response the Minister gave to Senator Ó Domhnaill, it stated that the design team has been asked about suitable accommodation. That question was asked months if not years ago and answers have been received. Language such as "we are currently looking at the options" is simply putting back the issue.

There needs to be a commitment for this school because it is unsafe. There are other issues. The school does not have ancillary facilities, it does not have a PE hall or proper library and the rooms are too small and are not up to the standard the Department sets for new builds. I attended that school, my sister and cousin teach there and my uncle is a former headmaster. Deputy McGinley was also a headmaster of the school. I have an interest in it. The school, and the children who attend it, deserve the same as children in other schools in Donegal. Some of the schools are excellent. I commend the Government where it has invested in new builds. The facilities available are excellent but the children in that school, and in countless others, deserve the same type of respect from this Minister and Government.

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the House the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and also to outline the current position in relation to Scoil Chonaill Naofa, Bunbeg. The Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, wishes to make clear that modernising facilities in our existing building stock, as well as the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth, is a significant challenge and one which he intends to prioritise as Minister for Education and Science.

The Government has dramatically increased investment in the school building programme to almost €600 million this year. The expected completion in 2008 of 67 large scale projects at primary level and 19 projects at post-primary level will benefit over 18,000 students and construction work on 150 devolved projects will provide an additional 8000 permanent places in existing primary schools. The Senator will also be aware that last month, the Minister announced a further tranche of 24 large-scale projects to progress to tender and construction.

This year has also seen a particular emphasis on the delivery of additional school places in rapidly developing areas with the construction of 26 new schools under the fast track off-site construction programme. Construction is also due to start in 2008 on the first bundle of public private partnership schools, while further ones will be offered to the market next year with a view to building work commencing in later years. This is an enormous programme of work by any standards and, while there will continue to be a focus during the year on providing extra places in developing areas, the Department will also be delivering improvements in the quality of existing primary and post-primary school accommodation throughout the country. The emphasis, however, will continue to be on new schools and extensions to provide additionality in rapidly developing areas.

All applications for capital funding are assessed against published prioritisation criteria to determine the extent and type of need presenting based on the demographics of an area, proposed housing developments, condition of buildings and site capacity, leading ultimately to an appropriate accommodation solution. Projects are then 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. The project for Scoil Chonaill Naofa has been assigned a band rating of 2.1.

A report from a local electrical contractor outlining issues regarding the electrics in the current school building has recently been received by my Department. In practical terms, individual school authorities are best placed to assess the detail of their own health and safety requirements. The introduction in January 1997 of the Grant Scheme for Minor Works to National School Properties gave school authorities the scope to address maintenance issues of most immediate concern to them. Since the introduction of the scheme in 1997, Scoil Chonaill Naofa has received in excess of €50,000 for works which can include improvement or replacement of electrical services.

With regard to the project for refurbishment and extension of Scoil Chonaill Naofa, the design team on the project for this are currently working on stage 4-5 documentation which involves the preparation of tender documents. Planning permission has been received. Clarification regarding the provision of temporary accommodation for the duration of the project was requested from the design team and its response is currently being examined by the Department's technical staff.

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. Further progression of the school building project at Scoil Chonaill Naofa will be considered in the context of the school building and modernisation programme. The Minister wishes to assure the Senator that the project will be progressed when the necessary resources are available to allow this to happen.

Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)
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In the Minister of State's opinion, is it good value for money, given that we are going into a budget where the Minister is telling us to tighten our belts, for a school that has been waiting for 11 years to progress to construction, where a site has been identified, with the school ready to move out last year, to apply for funding to the Government to upgrade the electrical works in the school? A week or a month later the work could be done again. The answer is "No." Anyone in junior infants would say it is not good value for money to do this work, and then have it replicated in a week or a month, when the Minister finally makes a decision.

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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The school will have to consider its options and all the available information, and decide what to do. It is up to the school to assess the course of action it wishes to take having regard to the school building and modernisation programme. The school will have to assess that and decide if it should make an application. The two applications could be made in parallel.