Seanad debates

Tuesday, 4 November 2008

6:00 pm

Photo of Pat MoylanPat Moylan (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Haughey, to the House.

Photo of Cecilia KeaveneyCecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach for his forbearance in allowing me to raise this issue, which is important for a small number, relatively speaking, of students and parents in my area. Monreagh national school outside Carrigans in County Donegal was established in 1852 and there are not too many schools like this still in existence. It is a small, bungalow-type school sitting beside what would have been an old narrow country road but because of its geographical location on the border with County Derry it has become a very busy road. Many Derry people have come to the area to build in the rates-free Donegal Border area. There is a lot of traffic and activity on the road.

I have put down parliamentary questions since 1999, if not earlier, about the need for renovations to Monreagh school, never mind the development of a new school. There have been questions as to whether Monreagh would be given a new school and a decision was taken in 2001 to build a new school, but that has not materialised. To date, four sites have been explored and for one reason or other they have fallen through. A site is currently being considered by the Department and I know that budgetary constraints will be a consideration.

My reason for raising this matter in the House is that the future of the school depends on certainty. We thought we had that certainty in 2001 when it was decided to build a new school on the site. This is a tiny school with 20 to 23 students, some of whom are disabled, but generations of people have attended the school. The uncertainty as to whether it would be amalgamated with another school or whether a new school would be built has caused many people who might have sent their children there not to have the confidence to do so. I want to deliver the message that the building of a new school on the site would lead to the school being regenerated.

This is a little Protestant school in a rural area and the threat of it being amalgamated in another area would mean that the community would lose a certain ethos. This school could be the foundation stone for uniting the new community in that rural area while maintaining the rural fabric of the area. One of the difficulties is that it is a small, single storey school beside the road with a small car park which doubles as a playground. However, it is neither a car park nor a playground because it is also the driveway into a farmhouse. The reality is that because the school shares its only safe space, there are natural conflicts between what is suitable for children and the work of a farm. A meeting was held a number of months ago in the school. A health and safety audit was undertaken by a consultant, the results of which are blunt and bland and which show that the school site has the potential for serious trouble in the future.

This is not a major building programme of an eight to ten-teacher school for 500 or 600 pupils. It is a small project but it is very important and unique because of its smallness and special status. We are trying to maintain and expand the rural fabric. I refer to the policies of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and the CLÁR programme to keep people in their own area.

The principal teacher of the school, Evelyn Buchanan, may be near retirement. She has driven the project and I know nobody would be more proud than she would be to see her children and the parents of those children whom she taught through the years getting a safe educational environment. The standard of teaching is excellent in the school but the constraints under which they must work are not suitable for this day and age. While it may hold a national record for being a school established in 1852 and while the teachers may not want to move from where they are, it is now 150 years later and this school is not suitable for 2008.

Photo of Seán HaugheySeán 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 to outline the current position in regard to the specific difficulties and solutions for acquiring a site for Monreagh national school, Carrigans, County Donegal.

At the outset, the Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, would like me to clarify 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. The Government has shown a consistent determination to improve the condition of school buildings and to ensure the appropriate facilities are in place to enable the implementation of a broad and balanced curriculum.

The Government has dramatically increased investment in the schools 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 more than 18,000 students, and construction work on 150 devolved projects will provide an additional 8,000 permanent places in existing primary schools. The Senator also will be aware that in September the Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, 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.

This is an enormous programme of work by any standards and, while there will continue to be a focus on providing extra places in developing areas, the Department will also deliver 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. The programme will also enable the purchase of sites to facilitate the smooth delivery of the schools building programme but, again, with the focus being on site requirements in rapidly developing areas.

In regard to Monreagh national school, 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 in June 2001. The OPW advised the Department that on foot of advertising it had identified a number of sites which were inspected by its regional architect and four were eventually selected for further consideration. One of these sites was identified as the preferred option and, in November 2004, the Department instructed the OPW to open negotiations on this site. The acquisition of this site was almost complete in September 2006, when, however, the OPW advised my Department that the vendor could not offer good marketable title to the property. Consequently, the Department instructed the OPW to re-advertise.

The school authorities recently approached the Department with a proposal in regard to an alternative site. The Department is currently arranging for a technical assessment of that site's suitability. If the site is deemed to be suitable, the next step will be to acquire the site. Clearly, closure of the acquisition of the site will be dependent on the availability of the necessary capital funds. At this stage, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the acquisition of the site. However, once a site has been acquired to construct a new school, the project will be considered for progression in line with the band rating assigned to the project and the availability of the necessary funds.

I thank the Senator once again for affording me the opportunity to outline to the House the current position in regard to the site acquisition for Monreagh national school, Carrigans, County Donegal.

Photo of Cecilia KeaveneyCecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)
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I wish to make two points. As the Minister of State is aware given his statement, there is a history going back to 2004 with regard to the acquisition of this site. I would ask, first, that the process be expedited and the site investigation undertaken. The site was nearly purchased in 2004 but it is now nearly 2009. The need is five years old or older.

Second, this area could well be a developing area given that there are many new houses there. I would guess that many of the children from those houses are using an address in Derry in order to go to school there. While I stand to be corrected on that, there is a current issue with regard to "grannying", on which there have been recent court cases. Should the North determine that Donegal residents must send their children to Donegal schools, we could have an instant need and a rapidly developing area. There are many houses in the area but the usual number of children is not coming forward for schooling. If this is not happening now, there will be a number of children wishing to attend that school in the future. While we are confident we have the numbers in any case, this is being prioritised as a developing area and we could reach that situation very quickly.

Photo of Seán HaugheySeán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator for giving that additional information to the House. I will ensure it is considered by the schools building section.