Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)
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I would like to share my time with Senator Robbie Gallagher.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Is that agreed? Agreed.

Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Helen McEntee, and thank her for taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills.

The Holy Family school in Cootehill, County Cavan is unique and an important school for the counties of Cavan and Monaghan. It caters for pupils between the ages of four and 18 years with severe and profound learning difficulties, moderate and multiple learning disabilities and-or autism. It is an important project for the community at large. While the Department has gone some way towards progressing the project, the approval of the Minister for Education and Skills is necessary if it is to proceed further.

The Department has accepted that this major building project is a priority to progress to tender and construction stage. On 31 January it was authorised to complete stage 2B, architectural planning. The initial feasibility study for the new school accommodation was carried out in 2002. The design team was appointed in 2006 but for various reasons delays have occurred, including because of an increase in enrolments and changes to the schedule of accommodation. Since 2002 the school population has doubled in size and the school's facilities are totally inadequate to meet the needs of the pupils. The school operates on two sites such that pupils attending the White Star complex in Market Street in the town have to travel by bus, on a daily basis, to the main building for lunch. There is a severe lack of space in both buildings. For example, one class which comprises four wheelchair users is held in the PE storeroom. I am sure the Minister of State will agree that this is not acceptable.

I pay tribute to the board of management, previous boards of management, the principal and staff for the excellent job they are doing in difficult circumstances. The board of management does not want to introduce waiting lists for the first time in the school's history as it is the only school of its type in Cavan-Monaghan. However, if something is not done soon and it is not possible to accommodate all of the children who need to attend the school, serious problems will arise for children in both counties with moderate, severe and-or profound disabilities. Children who need to attend the school must not be deprived of that opportunity. It is important that the Minister, Deputy Richard Bruton, give the go-ahead for commencement of construction of the project this year.

The school sought and was granted planning permission last year for temporary accommodation to enable it to move site this summer to allow construction work to commence on the main site before the end of this year. The board of management, the parents association and the wider school community are frustrated by the delays. It is important that the requisite approval be issued at the earliest possible opportunity. I ask the Minister of State to impress this point on the Minister.

The project is a priority for councillors and Oireachtas representatives in Cavan-Monaghan. My colleague, Deputy Brendan Smith, has been raising the issue on a regular basis and was instrumental in the granting of initial approval in 2002 for commencement of construction of this project. It is also a priority for the parents of children who have attended or are attending the school and the wider community in Cootehill.

Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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I, too, welcome the Minister of State. I concur with the sentiments of my colleague, Senator Diarmuid Wilson, on the issue. The school in question caters for pupils from counties Cavan and Monaghan. It has a great reputation and gone from strength to strength in terms of enrolments which have doubled since 2002. I pay tribute to the principal and staff, the board of management, previous boards of management and the many others involved in lobbying to get the project moving. It has been on the track for far too long. The school operates on two sites which I am sure the Minister of State will agree is inadequate. We would welcome progress on the issue. Everything is ready to go. We need the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton, to iron out the remaining difficulties to enable the project to proceed to construction stage early in 2017. The school was founded by a former Member of the Lower House, Dr. Rory O'Hanlon, over 50 years ago. Many students have passed through the school with great distinction since. It is time the project was grasped in order that the students and staff can enjoy conditions suitable to the tasks they undertake.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the teachers and pupils present in the Visitors Gallery. It is nice to see young children visiting the Seanad and acknowledging our presence.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I thank both Senators for raising this issue as it provides me with an opportunity to outline to the Seanad the current position on the major building project for the Holy Family school in Cootehill. I understand the urgency attached to the project, given that it involves a multidenominational and co-educational special needs school which caters for pupils aged between four and 18 years with moderate and profound learning difficulties and autism. The project was included in the six-year programme announced on 17 November 2015 to proceed to tender and construction. The original brief was to provide a 21 classroom school. Following a meeting with the Department in December 2015, the school and its design team were authorised to increase the scale of the project to deliver a new 26 classroom school. As outlined by Senator Diarmuid Wilson, on 18 November 2016 the design team submitted a stage 2A addendum report to the Department for review. The review was completed by the end of January 2017 and the board of management and its design team were authorised to complete stage 2B - developed design stage. This stage includes obtaining planning permission, a fire safety certificate and a disability access certificate.

All statutory approvals have now been secured for the project. Construction will require the full decant of the existing school to temporary accommodation on a nearby site. The decant will be an integral part of the school building project and form part of the main contract. Planning permission for the decant accommodation was secured in August 2016. The fire certificate and disability access certificate were subsequently secured and the Department has authorised the signing of a lease by the school to secure the decant site. The design team architect has informed the Department that they expect to submit the stage 2B report for review by the end of this month. Once the stage 2B report has been submitted and approved, the Department will revert to the school with a timeframe for the tender process, including the pre-qualification of contractors.

I regret that I am unable to give the Senators an exact date for commencement of the project, but I hope they are assured by the response that the project will be addressed at the earliest date possible.

Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for her reply. On the reference to the school having to decant from its current site, as outlined in my earlier remarks, it is prepared for that move.I impress on the Minister the urgency for this project to proceed if children are not to be refused enrolment at the school because there is not sufficient room to accommodate them. Nobody, least of all the principal and staff of the school, wants that to happen. I urge the Minister of State to impress on the Minister, Deputy Bruton, the need for this project to progress as quickly as possible.

In regard to the group of people currently in the Visitors Gallery, they are members of the Foróige Youth Club in Narramore, County Kildare. Like the Cathaoirleach, I welcome them to the Seanad. I hope they enjoy their visit to Leinster House and Dublin.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I, too, welcome the people in the Visitors Gallery. I acknowledge that this is an extremely urgent case and that it is important the next stage of the process commences by the end of this month. I will bring the Senators' concerns to the attention of the Minister.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I wish the daoine óga a very happy Easter. I am sure they will have time off from school to relax and enjoy the fine weather.