Michael McCarthy (Labour)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise the important issue of the much-needed extension to Clonakilty community college. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Kitt, to the House to discuss this matter with me. I have raised the issue on several occasions with my party's education spokesperson in the Dáil, on the Adjournment in this House and through various other means. It is an important issue locally in terms of education, especially given the current economic downturn. It is a cause of great concern for the pupils who are the heart of any education topic. It is also a matter of great concern to their parents, the staff in the college and the wider community.

Clonakilty community college was built in 1980 to accommodate 400 pupils. I need not explain to the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Kitt, the impact on the school of population trends, that many people have moved into the area, it being a particularly attractive area in which to live and having been singled out for the decentralisation programme. It is one of the few successful elements of decentralisation, although that success will be sorely tested next month when the building is finished.

An extension to the school is clearly needed. The school has an enrolment of in excess of 600 pupils. Much of the professional advice available to the Department by its experts has been offered to that effect. Such are the capacity restrictions in Clonakilty community college that pupils have to travel for some subjects to the old technical school on the other side of the town which has sufficient capacity. That arrangement is dangerous and it has major health and safety implications. I have walked that route on many occasions. There are five or six dangerous junctions. Pupils have to traverse busy thoroughfares in a busy west Cork town. There are safety issues involved, not least the final sojourn to cross the road to the technical school. There are health and safety implications in that arrangement. We must also question the capacity of anyone to be open to learning if he or she has to traverse through a town when it is raining and possibly arrive late for class in a building where the conditions are not appropriate or conducive to a good learning environment.

The extension to the school is needed now more than ever because the population has increased in the area. Furthermore, the broader issue is that if the Government is serious about the schools building programme, now is the time for it to demonstrate that. If the extension is given the go ahead, that will reboot the local economy by providing employment to people in the area who have lost their jobs in the construction industry. It would enable some people in receipt of social welfare benefit to return to the workplace who would pay tax, which would increase the tax yield to the Exchequer. Therefore, there is a double advantage for the Government in approving this project. I ask the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Kitt, to be cognisant of that and to take that message back to his senior Minister.

This project was the subject of a political stunt in 2002. The then Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Woods, wrote to the then Minister for Agriculture and Food, Joe Walsh, who has now retired from public life, and gave a commitment in the run up to the 2002 general election that this project would go ahead. History has taught us that was a political stunt. I want to caution the Minister of State about this. These issues are beyond party politics because the greater good in terms of the educational needs and the needs of the wider community is far greater than the needs of politicians or the political issues of the day. I ask the Minister of State to take strong cognisance of that.

Clonakilty was one of the towns identified for decentralisation. Now that work on the building, on which the Government has spent approximately €20 million, is nearing completion, I wish to ask the Minister of State some questions about it. When will the Bord Iascaigh Mhara staff who are expected to transfer to and fill that building arrive? What is the timeframe for their transfer? Critically, will they transfer to the town? If they do, do we expect those civil and public servants to leave Dublin and take their children out of schools which probably have sufficient capacity and a decent educational infrastructure and transfer to a town and enrol their children in a school that at its best is trying to cope in restricted conditions?

The former principal of Clonakilty community college, Mr. Paddy Duggan, was the epitome of a man who gave good public service. I had a good deal of interaction with him on this topic. I record the professionalism, integrity and work ethic of all the staff of that school, including the current principal, Ms Anne Dunne, but especially Mr. Paddy Duggan, a man who has since retired and has gone on to do other things. It is a pity the extension to the school has not taken place thus far. I urge the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Kitt, to take on board what I have said and to impress this message on his colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. The Minister resides in Ballincollig, which is not a million miles away from Clonakility. I urge the Government to take action on this project as soon as possible.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I am replying to this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. I thank the Senator for raising this matter. It provides me with the opportunity to outline to the Seanad the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and also to outline the current position in regard to Clonakilty community college in particular.

Modernising facilities in the existing building stock as well as the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth is a significant challenge and is one of the priorities of the Minister for Education and Science. The allocation of funding for school buildings in 2009 is €653 million. This represents a significant investment in the schools building and modernisation programme. This level of funding 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. Under the recovery plan announced recently by the Taoiseach, an additional €75 million was allocated to the schools building programme for 2009.

All applications for capital funding are assessed in the planning and building unit of the Department. 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 where 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.

In regard to Clonakilty community college, the brief for this extension-refurbishment project is to provide accommodation for a long-term projected enrolment of 550 pupils. The project, which has been assigned a band rating of 2.4, is awaiting the appointment of a design team. 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. However, as the Senator will understand, it is not possible to progress all projects to construction at the same time. This project will continue to be considered in the context of the Department's multi-annual school building and modernisation programme. However, in light of current 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.

I again thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to outline to the Seanad the current position regarding the school building project for Clonakilty community college.

Michael McCarthy (Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. I have raised this issue several times and the response from the Department rarely deviates from what the Minister of State has just read out. The terminology in terms of band ratings gives little support or optimism to those concerned. This is a critical issue. The broader issue of the schools building programme is one on which the Government can show lead. A change of thinking is required. Proceeding to construction boosts the economy and provides decent educational infrastructure. As long as we get this kind of reply we are going nowhere.