Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I welcome Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, to the House.

Emer Currie (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State. First, I want to recognise the work of Ms Patricia McPhillips who retired as principal on Friday after 39 years in Coolmine Community School, Blanchardstown. She told us that she came for only one year and it is a testament to the ethos and culture of Coolmine Community School that she stayed for so long. I know how special that culture and ethos is because my mum also taught in the school.

Ms McPhillips was a principal who put her heart and soul into Coolmine Community School and has left her mark on the lives of thousands of young people in our community, and they on hers. I sincerely thank her for her service. It is sad she is leaving while the roof saga is ongoing, which I will outline today. Whatever is said today, we should all agree it is not safe or sensible that buckets are a permanent feature on school corridors, the busiest thoroughfare in the school. There are 1,000 pupils moving between classrooms every 40 minutes. This is a serious health and safety issue that the school has been living with for two years.

The timeline begins in 2014 when the school got a new roof. In 2016, it needed refurbishment and in 2022, the leaks began again which initiated the presence of the famous buckets. This time last year, the school started its process of applying for emergency works. In April, revisions were made and requested which the school did. The school then applied again for emergency works, costing €133,000. I believe this was recently rejected on the basis that the school should revert to the 2016 contractor. I do not believe the contractor did a satisfactory job on the roof but at the same time, it is a very difficult position for the school to chase a contractor while the school lives with the disruption and the potential safety issues for its pupils and staff.That decision should be revised and the emergency works should be authorised so the work can be done.

I have seen a letter from the trustees of the school, who have met the board of management about the works. They put together a compelling case. The last paragraph of the letter simply states that the school may have passed the point of the existing building being fit for purpose. I would say that it is not that it may have. It definitely has. This school was due a new school building 25 years ago and it never materialised. Meanwhile, down the road there is a new school building that cost in the region of €30 million. My research has shown that the school has seen investment of €3.5 million for capital works over the past ten years. All the school is asking for is €133,000 to deal with a legacy issue that must be addressed.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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Before the Minister of State responds, I welcome Dromtariffe Active Retirement Club to the Public Gallery who are here as guests of Deputy Michael Moynihan. I hope they have a wonderful day in Leinster House and enjoy their visit.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I also welcome all the guests joining us in the Seanad.

To return to more serious issues, I thank Senator Currie for raising this important matter about Coolmine Community School. I am taking this Commencement matter on the funding of roof works under the emergency works scheme on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley. I acknowledge Ms Patricia McPhillips, the former principal mentioned by the Senator, and the wonderful service she has given to her community and the impression she has left on many young people's lives.

From the script I have been given, I will outline some of the background. The purpose of the emergency works scheme, EWS, is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies or to provide funding to facilitate inclusion and access for pupils with special needs. An emergency is deemed to be a situation which poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or the environment, which is sudden, unforeseen and requires immediate action, and in the case of a school, if not corrected would prevent the school or part thereof from opening. The governing circular in this regard is Circular 0068/2020, which provides additional information on the scheme and may be a useful reference point for the school in question. Delivery of this scheme is managed on a devolved basis by the relevant school authority. As part of its digital strategy and streamlining arrangements, the Department's applications for emergency works can now be made via an online portal called Esinet.

The school in question, Coolmine Community School, submitted an application for funding under the EWS for significant works to a flat roof section of the school and replacement of high-level windows just under the roof area in order to address the issue of water ingress into the school building. The application was made in October 2023. As part of this EWS application it was noted that roof refurbishment works were completed on the flat roof area in question in 2016 and that there have been consistent issues with water ingress in this area since the completion of these roof works. Following an analysis by the technical area of the EWS team, it was determined that the works being sought under the EWS did not fall within the remit of the EWS and therefore, the application was rejected. It was recommended that the school’s board of management revert to the original design team, consultant and contractor, requesting clarification on why the current flat roof has failed so soon after completion of the aforementioned works.

In respect of the decision to reject the application, the Department notes that the option is open to the school to appeal this decision, via the online portal. The basis of the appeal should include additional relevant information that was not previously provided to the EWS team as part of the original application, in order to allow for an analysis of these additional factors to be considered in the appeal decision.I am sure the school's board of management has exhausted all avenues. I reiterate that this is the Department's process. It is based on the circular to which I refer.

Emer Currie (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. This is an example of why schools are so frustrated with the workings of the Department of Education. The school in question applied for this a year ago. An emergency is deemed to be "a situation which poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or the environment, that happens in sudden, unforeseen circumstances and requires immediate action". I am saying that the presence of buckets in the busiest thoroughfare of the school for the past two years represents a risk to health and safety and that if the ongoing leak is not fixed and there is an issue with the roof, it will give rise to an emergency situation and the school will most likely have to shut down.

It is a year since the school submitted its application. The response is to go back to the original design team, the consultant and the contractor. Why did it take so long for the response to be given? It is just not practical to do as has been suggested. The emergency has to be dealt with. The school has most likely gone back to the contractor already to try to get the leak fixed. We need a twin-track approach here and a bit of common sense on the part of Department when it comes to dealing with an emergency situation that needs to be rectified as soon as possible.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator. She has made a compelling case in advocating on behalf of Coolmine Community School and the students, teachers and staff who have to deal with this on a daily basis. I will take all the information that she has presented back to the Minister, Deputy Foley.

As we move into the winter months, it is obvious that this case is exceptional. There is a need to rectify the situation on the basis that we will have inclement weather conditions over the next number of months. I have no doubt that if the school provides additional information, the Department will look at and may review the appeal under the EWS on the basis of that information.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State and Senator Currie. Hopefully, this issue will be resolved without delay.