Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)
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I wish to share my time with Senator Mullen, if possible. Perhaps the Leas-Chathaoirleach will let me know when I have spoken for three minutes to enable me to pass on the final two minutes available to me.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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Very well.

Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his attendance and for taking this Adjournment matter. I wish to make the case for Holy Rosary College, Mountbellew, County Galway, to get its own PE hall. It is a large secondary school in Mountbellew, which is in north-east County Galway. that never has had its own PE hall or gymnasium. Both Senator Mullen and I speak from experience in this case because we both are past students of the school and I have a particular interest in this case for that reason.

I will provide the Minister of State with a brief summary of the background. Holy Rosary College was approved for a new school building in 1968, which was to include a PE hall. However, due to a difficult financial situation at the time, more than 40 years ago, a PE hall was not sanctioned. Since then, the school has endeavoured consistently to acquire a PE hall and a major extension to the school to include a PE hall, as well as refurbishment of the existing building, was agreed with the Department of Education and Science in 2000. Following advertisement of the project in the EU Journal, the design team was appointed eight years ago on 1 February 2001. A stage 1 submission for site suitability, briefing and site report was made to the Department of Education and Science on 2 November 2001. Seven years ago, the Minister of State's colleague, the then Minister of State with responsibility for science and technology, Deputy Treacy, officially opened the school's new physics lab on 26 February 2002. At that time, Deputy Treacy met a staff delegation after the opening and expressed confidence that this project would move ahead quickly. The then Minister of State, Deputy Treacy, referred to the school's PE facilities as being Third World in nature, in that it possessed only outdoor PE facilities, such as basketball courts etc. The school had meetings with departmental officials on 18 July 2002 and 26 February 2002. The next meeting with departmental officials took place in February 2007, after a lapse of five years during which there was no communication. Moreover, it has taken from February 2001, when the design team was appointed, to arrive at this point and in February 2009, the school still awaits stage 3 approval. Within the last month, on 15 January 2009, the school again wrote to the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, pointing out the completely inadequate PE facilities possessed by Holy Rosary College, Mountbellew. In a time of severe financial constraints in schools, it has become impossible for the school to continue to pay for the hire of a sports facility in a local hall. At present, it is paying €20,000 per year in rent. It has been waiting for 41 years for proper PE facilities and while all the school's teachers have been trained in the junior certificate physical education programme, they have no place in which to implement it.

The gains in this regard are obvious. There are lifelong gains for young people who have been trained in good physical education habits, as well as obvious educational outcomes. Above all, however, there are health benefits, as efforts are made to contravene the rise in obesity. The Minister of State should indicate to Members when approval in respect of funding will be made for the PE hall and when construction is likely to commence.

Rónán Mullen (Independent)
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I thank Senator Healy Eames for sharing time with me. It is a matter of pride to both of us that we are past pupils of Holy Rosary College, Mountbellew. It is a school in a medium-sized town in rural Ireland with approximately 500 students and we are glad that two representatives in the Seanad have come from it. Both Senator Healy Eames and I can and do state that, in a sense, this school typifies all that Irish education can be in terms of the quality of education on offer, the dedication of teachers, the support of the local community, the attention to high standards of education and a strong and unyielding focus on the dignity of each student and on care for their needs in the most holistic way possible. It is with particular enthusiasm therefore, that Senator Healy Eames and I wish to help to make the case and to ask the reason the necessary facilities have not been provided to date, given how deserving is this school and given that the Government has stated that notwithstanding the economic downturn, there is to be no let-up in terms of the investment at capital level in education——

Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)
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Hear, hear.

Rónán Mullen (Independent)
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——because we are educating people for the future for the sake of our society.

I have to hand an extract from the Department of Education and Science's website from April 2005, which lists 124 schools that were to progress through the architectural planning process of the school building and modernisation programme. It states that the schools in question had been assessed as being priority projects. At a meeting with representatives of the Department of Education and Science in November 2007, to which Senator Healy Eames has referred, departmental officials told representatives of Holy Rosary College that they were anxious to progress the project. These are snapshots of a seven-year story.

Given everything that is said concerning physical education, its importance in society, namely, mens sana in corpore sano, and the new emphasis on sport as a necessary part of the curriculum, it is ironic that this excellent school has not had the requisite facilities for years. The sports facilities are a part of the wider extension project that, in progress since 2001, is intended to double the school's size to approximately 5,000 sq. m. The project's design has been approved, but it is stuck on stage 3. Why can the school not get approval to apply for planning permission and to seek tenders? Are school projects being unnecessarily held up as they progress through the system due to a reluctance to spend? Is there a fear that, when they reach tender stage, the Department will need to tell them "No" for money reasons? Given the number of years that have passed and the Department officials' apparent enthusiasm for the project, there seems to be no good reason for not allowing Holy Rosary College to progress to the tender stage.

In 2007, minor technical design matters were raised at a meeting of the various parties involved, but those questions were answered in full. Since the end of November, there has been no word. An unaccountable delay is frustrating the ability of an excellent school and committed staff in a supportive community to do what they do well, that is, provide top quality education in east County Galway. Given that the school was on the 2005 priority list, we would be grateful if the Minister of State could provide us with good news to the effect that Holy Rosary College is to be allowed to proceed to planning and tendering stages post haste.

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe.

I thank the Senators for raising this matter, as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the Seanad the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and the current position in respect of Holy Rosary College, Mountbellew, County Galway in particular. I do not doubt the school is proud of its two past pupils who are now Members of Seanad Éireann.

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.

There are four band ratings overall, of which band one is the highest and band four the lowest. Band one projects, for example, include the provision of buildings where none currently exists, but there is a high demand for pupil places, while a band four project makes provision of desirable, but not necessarily urgent or essential facilities, such as a library or new sports hall. The proposed extension and refurbishment of Holy Rosary College has been assigned a band rating of 2.2.

The brief for the Holy Rosary College project is to provide adequate accommodation for a long-term projected enrolment of 550 pupils. This brief is considerably wider than the provision of a stand-alone physical education hall and includes the provision of other accommodation, such as a language lab, computer room, music-drama area, religion room and other ancillary accommodation. Some refurbishment of the existing school building forms part of the brief.

Information on stage 2a, that is, developed sketch scheme of architectural planning, was submitted by the design team in early 2008 and, on review by the Department's technical team, further information was requested in July. This was submitted to the Department in January 2009. It is being assessed and officials from the Department will be in further contact with the school authorities when the assessment is completed.

The progression of all large-scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction is dependent on the prioritisation of competing demands on the funding available under the Department's capital budget. The project will be considered on an ongoing basis in the context of the Department's multi-annual school building and modernisation programme.

The allocation for school buildings in 2009 is €581 million, which represents a significant investment in the school building and modernisation programme. This level of funding for the building programme at a time of great pressure on public finances is a sign of the Government's commitment to investing in school infrastructure and will permit the continuation of progress in the overall improvement of school accommodation. The Senators will be aware that, under the recovery plan announced last night by the Taoiseach, additional funds have been allocated to the schools building programme.

I thank the Senators again for giving me the opportunity to outline to the Seanad how the Department intends to address the needs of Holy Rosary College. However, in light of current economic circumstances and with competing demands on the capital budget of the Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the further progression of the project at this time.