Lorraine Higgins (Labour)
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I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I thank her for taking this matter on the Adjournment. This deals with the potential provision of a new school building for the Educate Together multi-denominational school located at Kilcolgan, County Galway. I have been contacted by a number of parents of children attending the school, who want to know the Department's plans to provide a new school building. I am aware planning permission has been granted for a permanent structure in a site in Kilcolgan but, given that the Department has set out its five-year capital building plan for schools throughout Ireland, I assume it is plausible to believe this project will not go ahead. In the absence of planning permission being granted for a new school with a temporary structure in the townland, it is clear that Educate Together finds itself in a lacuna. The hopes of the new school building are conditional on planning permission being granted at the desired site for a temporary structure. It is plausible to assume a significant time period must pass before it gets to the planning process.

In the circumstances, I ask the Minister of State to outline the current situation and the possibility of capital funding for the development of a new temporary, modular-type multi-denominational primary school at Kilcolgan and the prospect of any such school receiving funding in the coming years, given that the current school urgently needs new premises. Can the Minister of State indicate a timeframe if the Department is mindful of providing funds to the school?

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I am responding to this Adjournment debate on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn. I hope to clarify some issues for the Senator and I thank her for raising it as it provides me with the opportunity to clarify the current position of the application for alternative accommodation in respect of Kilcolgan Educate Together national school.

To ensure that every child has access to a physical school place, it is vital there is sufficient school accommodation available to cater for these pupil enrolments. The delivery of building projects to meet the increasing demographic demands will be the main focus for capital investment over the duration of the five-year plan, particularly in areas where it has been identified that most demographic growth will be concentrated.

In this regard, Kilcolgan has not been identified as an area of significant demographic growth. Pupil enrolment projections for Kilcolgan indicate that enrolments will remain relatively stable for the foreseeable future. Kilcolgan Educate Together national school is currently located in temporary accommodation on a confined site. The school authority submitted a proposal to the Department for the construction of a new school on the basis of a build and lease back arrangement on an alternative site. The proposal did not fulfil the required tendering procedure and was therefore rejected. However, the Department acknowledged that the school requires additional accommodation and in October 2012 approved, in principle, alternative temporary accommodation to provide classroom, special needs and administrative spaces on an alternative site.

The school authority was advised that, in line with standard public procurement procedures, a tendering process to cost this temporary accommodation was required. The school authority subsequently submitted an alternative proposal to the Department at the end of January 2013. The proposal raised a number of queries for the Department and it was considered that a meeting with school representatives should be arranged to discuss the matter. A meeting took place on 5 February and it was agreed that the school will provide further information and clarification on issues addressed at the meeting. This is to include a full outline of the scope and scale of works being sought and clarification on the consultant appointment process etc. Departmental officials advised the meeting that the Department and the schools it funds are bound by the Government's public procurement guidelines. Such guidelines require a competitive process to be carried out in an open, objective and transparent manner.

On receipt of the information and clarifications from the school, the Department will give the school's proposals its immediate consideration and convey its decision to the school authority. Again, I thank the Senator for allowing me the opportunity to outline the position. I think I have answered some of her questions, although perhaps not all of them.

Lorraine Higgins (Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for her reply. It is quite clear that there is a difficulty now in that the school will have to go back and seek further planning permission for a temporary, modular-type facility. That will obviously result in a significant time lapse in terms of the school getting through the planning process. As I stated earlier, there is an urgent need for a school in the area as a consequence of the facility in which the school is currently housed not meeting health and safety requirements. I ask the Minister of State to pass my comments on to the Minister for Education and Skills.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I will most certainly do that. The public procurement guidelines obviously have to be followed. I am not certain whether a temporary facility would need planning permission because I do not know the details but I will certainly pass on the Senator's concerns to the Minister and ask him to contact her directly.