I thank the Chair for allowing me to raise the important matter of the Mercy secondary school in Kilbeggan on the Adjournment. I express once again my severe and grave disappointment that the Minister for Education and Science could not find the time to come to the House. Matters relating to education and schools are raised night after night in the House, but the relevant Minister, Deputy Woods, never appears. It is not good enough and he should appear here.
If he were here, the Minister would learn about the urgency of the situation that Deputy Penrose and I will outline tonight. If he is interested in providing a better education service throughout the country, he should come to the House to defend his stewardship of his Department. The Mercy secondary school in Kilbeggan, County Westmeath, has an enrolment of 174 boys and 153 girls, representing an increase of 15% in the last ten years. The staff complement in the school is 27 teachers and one will not find a more talented and dedicated group in Ireland.
The school originated in a three-room building in 1894 and there was a plethora of additions to the campus in the early 1990s. A further prefab was added in 1998 to house the home economics department. The school has been allowed to develop in an ad hoc manner and now comprises six different buildings on the site, with various linking corridors. The fact that 11 entry points to the school can be accessed by the public is a source of difficulty. The Minister of State, Deputy Moffatt, will appreciate that there are difficulties with supervision and heating. Pupils and teachers can have problems moving between the various buildings on wet days. Inadequate classroom provision makes specialist room allocation almost impossible. Sanitary facilities for staff and students are wholly inadequate and office and administration facilities need to be extended and upgraded. Physical education facilities in the school are very limited, as although there is a sports hall, no changing facilities are available.
The Mercy secondary school in Kilbeggan is adjacent to the busy N6 national route, the proximity of which poses safety problems for students, parents and staff. Kilbeggan is an expanding town and the number of children in the catchment area points to a need for further expansion. The most recent census indicated there will be an increased demand for school facilities in the area in the near future. Kilbeggan needs a new school building on a new site. Such a development would provide the facilities needed by a modern school, such as science laboratories, an art and music room and language laboratories. I understand that a site has been made available for such a new development and an application for a new school has been lodged in the Department of Education and Science.
I want the Minister of State to tell the House the status of the application that has been made by the school authorities. Has it been approved? Is the Department ready to approve the new site and allow the project proceed to architectural planning? The students and teachers of the Mercy secondary school in Kilbeggan deserve a fair crack of the whip and I hope the Minister of State will give us good news.