Seanad debates
Wednesday, 30 September 2020
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Schools Building Projects
10:30 am
Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State is staying with us. If it is in order, we will move to Senator Gallagher as he is the only one here at the moment. Is the Minister of State taking the question about Ballybay Community College, County Monaghan?
Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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I presume it is all right if we move to Senator Gallagher. We need to keep moving.
Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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I extend a very warm welcome to the Minister of State and congratulate her on her appointment as it is the first opportunity I have had to do so. Knowing her personally, I have no doubt she will have huge success at the Department and wish her all the very best and good luck in that.I seek an update on the proposed extension of Ballybay Community College. It is an issue that I, along with my colleague in the area, Councillor Séamus Coyle, have worked on for many years. Indeed, I take this opportunity to extend great credit to the people in the school community, the pupils, teachers, board of management, the parents and Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board, CMETB, that have worked and championed hard to get the project off the ground.
The school has been a great success both academically and on the sporting field, so much so, that it has outgrown its original footprint because of its popularity and the large number attending, which is a credit to its teaching staff. I was delighted last December when the Minister, by way of reply to a Commencement debate, informed me that the school had finally gotten the green light to proceed. The news was greeted with great enthusiasm by the entire community of Ballybay.
Since the new Minister for Education and Skills has taken up office, I have stressed to her the importance of the facility moving forward. It is disappointing that the project has taken so long but now that we have a green light I hope that it will move swiftly along in order that the school community, comprised of teachers, pupils and parents, will enjoy a much needed facility that they are crying out for. I hope that the Minister of State present will have some good news for me this morning on the status of the extension because the school community in Ballybay has waited long enough for the project to be completed.
Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator. Brevity is his middle name.
Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator for his kind words of welcome to this House.
I am representing the Minister for Education and Skills. She was not in a position to attend so asked me to take this Commencement debate, which I am happy to do. I spoke to her briefly and she informed me that she is very much aware of all of the work that the Senator has done to date to progress the extension at Ballybay Community College, working with Councillor Coyle. As the Senator said, the people of Ballybay are completely behind the project.
I can confirm to him and the House that the Department received an application from CMETB for additional accommodation for the community college in June 2019. The request was given careful consideration. I am pleased, on behalf of the Minister, to advise the House that approval has been given for the provision of a stand-alone extension to the existing accommodation of the school. The extension will include two general classrooms, a science laboratory and a science preparation area. The project is being funded under the Department's additional accommodation scheme.
As is usual with such projects, its delivery has been devolved to CMETB. It is being progressed with a view to resolving the issues referred to by the Senator and increasing the accommodation that it currently occupies.
I assure the House that the Department is conscious of the need for the accommodation. Likewise, the CMETB is aware of the importance to the school community of the delivery of the project in a timely manner. Indeed, officials of the Department have been in regular contact with the board on the matter.
I am pleased that a design team has been appointed by the board to carry out the works necessary to bring the project through the various stages of architectural planning and onwards through to construction.
Under the Department's additional accommodation scheme, a school building project has a number of stages within the design and delivery process where approval, from the Department, is mandatory. The next stage in the process will be the completion of a detailed design for the project. In accordance with the terms and conditions of the scheme, the CMETB is required to seek approval from the Department at this stage, namely, stage 2(a), of the design process. The design team has been progressing the project through this stage of the process in recent months. In that context, I am delighted to announce to the House that the stage 2(a) report to be provided to the Department was received yesterday, so the Senator has tabled a very timely Commencement matter. Officials in the Department will now begin the process of reviewing the stage report. Subject to the Department being satisfied with these proposals, it may authorise the CMETB to proceed to lodge a planning application for the project.The CMETB will then bring the project through the planning process and may need to revert again to the Department, depending on the outcome of its planning application. Subject to departmental approval at that stage, as well as through the tender process, the CMETB and its consultant will then proceed to tender for a contractor to carry out the building works.
This project superseded an earlier project which was for the provision of a science laboratory and science preparation area only. This project had been approved but could not proceed due to significant cost and design challenges. The entire provision approved with that project is now included in the revised provision.
Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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There was some good news there for Senator Gallagher but I am sure he will have a supplementary question.
Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for the response. I welcome the fact the CMETB and the board of management of the school have done their bit and passed the parcel, so to speak, to the Department. This is good news. It is progress and I am delighted to welcome it. I will be in contact with the office of the Minister to ensure there are no delays with the Department and that the project will proceed without delay as soon as possible.
Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I assure the House that the CMETB is fully committed to providing this critical school accommodation. I also assure the House that it will be supported by the Department in doing so, particularly at the key stages in the process. The Department also remains fully committed to progressing the project in that context. The Senator is quite right when he mentioned the board of management, the principal of the school, all of the staff, the community and local politicians including the Senator driving on the project. A huge amount of work has been done in the background that a lot of people do not realise and it is great to get some positive news today. I hope the community can drive on with the project. On behalf of the Minister, I am delighted to bring this news here today.