Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach’s office for selecting this Commencement matter. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, to the Chamber. I raise the matter of my former national school, Scoil Mhuire, Maigh Cuilinn, to get an update on the status of the application to construct a new 16-classroom, plus an ancillary building, school on an enlarged site in the centre of Maigh Cuilinn.Scoil Mhuire is the largest school in the parish of Moycullen. It is one of four schools. The building is not fit for purpose. It has numerous prefabs. They are modern prefabs and replacement prefabs but nonetheless they are prefabs and the school is badly in need of a new building. The board of management has done a lot of work and has secured additional land to the rear of the existing school building. This has meant a new school can be built without the need to decant the pupils or interrupt their teaching. This will be of benefit and will reduce the costs of the project. The school has also received permission from landowners to allow for access for construction works. This improves the safety aspect.

Tá mé ag iarraidh an scéal is déanaí maidir le mo sheanscoil, Scoil Mhuire, Maigh Cuilinn. Tá scoil nua ag teastáil. Tá pleananna ann agus tá cead pleanála faighte ag an mbord bainistíochta chun scoil nua le 16 seomra ranga a thógáil. Teastaíonn an scoil agus an fhoireann nua go géar. What is the status of the project? The purchase of a parcel of land by the board at its own expense, together with agreements put in place, means the new school can be built in a single phase rather than multiple phases as originally planned. This will reduce the cost to the Department of Education. The board of management has put in tremendous work over the years but it has been left in an information vacuum. It does not know what is happening. It has not received acknowledgements to the most recent communications to the Department. It wants to know when it will be allowed to progress towards tenders and the conclusion of this badly needed project.

In April the Minister, Deputy Foley, included Scoil Mhuire on the list of 90 schools in an €800 million package and this is certainly welcome. We are now at a stage where nothing has happened since the period of February, March and April. A total of €800 million was sanctioned in the large-scale capital programme and additional accommodation scheme for essential classroom accommodation. Where is this project at? It is very badly needed. We know funding was sanctioned previously and we need to know there is approval at stage 2b so that it can proceed to stage 3.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Kyne for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the Seanad on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley, the current position in relation to the major building project for Scoil Mhuire in Moycullen, County Galway, which counts Senator Kyne among its most illustrious past pupils.

The major building project for Scoil Mhuire in Moycullen is included in the Department of Education's construction programme, which is being delivered under the national development plan. This project will be delivered under the Department's ADAPT programme. ADAPT is an acronym for the accelerated delivery of architectural planning and tendering. The ADAPT programme uses a professional external project manager to co-ordinate and drive the design team to achieve the best possible timeframe for the project through the stages of architectural planning to tender and construction.

The brief for this project is the demolition of the original existing single storey building and the development of a new build 16-classroom primary school with two classrooms for pupils with special educational needs at the current school site in Moycullen. The project is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning. It is at stage 2b, detailed design, when the design team secures all statutory approvals and prepares the suite of tender documents. The stage 2b submission was received in the Department of Education earlier this year, as Senator Kyne has outlined, and it is currently under review. On review, comments will issue from the Department for the design team's attention. The design team will then be requested to confirm to the Department in writing that its tender documents are in order and comply with all current building and procurement regulatory guidelines, and with Department technical guidance documents, before the project is eligible to progress to tender stage. In order to expedite the project, the school authorities and their design team were authorised to carry out the prequalification of contractors process, in order to draw up a shortlist of suitably qualified contractors. This process was completed in tandem with the design team completing its stage 2b report.

I completely understand Senator Kyne's frustration and, more pertinently, the frustration of the school community.I can cite at least three schools in my constituency of Dublin Rathdown that have also reached this sort of impasse, for want of a better word.

As has been outlined by the Minister, Deputy Foley, the Department will keep the school authorities and the design team informed of further developments in relation to the completion of stage 2(b) and the progression of the major building project. The Senator's advocacy this afternoon will go some way towards making sure that process is moved along as swiftly as possible. I look forward to the eventual construction of this school in due course.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. To be or not to be, that is the question. Unfortunately, I do not think we have the answer in relation to where this is going. The Minister of State talked about the ADAPT programme, the A in which stands for "accelerated", but I am afraid this project is stuck in gear, similar to other projects around the country. I know that the costs of construction have increased and that construction inflation has led, in some school projects, to increases of one third or more. Perhaps that is what we are not being told but if that is the issue, it is a capital budgetary one that needs to be resolved. Schools like Scoil Mhuire need to progress towards tendering and construction as soon as possible. Schools cannot be on lists without making progress. I hope that the Minister will progress this matter as quickly as possible to allow the school authorities to go forward to the next stage in order that construction can begin as soon as possible.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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It would be remiss of me not to mention that the Department has invested over €5 billion in schools throughout the country since 2020, involving the completion of over 950 school building projects. Construction is under way on approximately 350 other projects, including 37 new school buildings. These 350 projects currently in construction involve a total State investment of over €1.5 billion. The Department announced earlier this year that close to 90 projects, including 28 new school buildings, would be authorised to proceed from tender stage to construction over the course of this year and early into next year. A total of €800 million is to be invested through these projects.

I reiterate that I will take this matter up with the Minister, Deputy Foley. I will sit down and speak with her about every issue that the Senator has raised here this afternoon and will continue his very strong work in advocating for this new build for Scoil Mhuire, which is important not just to the people of Moycullen but further afield as well.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State and Senator Kyne. Hopefully the school will not be waiting too long for this project to advance. Our final matter is from Senator Dooley who raises another very important issue.