Deputy Calleary sought to raise on the Adjournment the subject matter of Question No. 731 of 10 October 1984. He has four minutes and the Minister has two.
Adjournment Debate: Mayo School Repairs.
First, may I thank you for the opportunity to avail of this very short time to raise on the Adjournment the subject matter of Question No. 731 and the very poor conditions that exist at Creevagh national school, Carrowmore, Lacken, Ballina, County Mayo. I should like to set out in chronological order what happened in this school for the past two years. This is a two-roomed school and it is somewhat significant that this is the second time that this matter has been raised here: the last time was when our present EEC Commissioner was Minister for Education.
On 26 October 1982 the Office of Public Works inspected the school and on 11 November 1982 the manager wrote to the Department requesting that urgent repairs be carried out. This letter was acknowledged only on 1 March 1983. On 11 March 1983 the manager again contacted the local office of the Office of Public Works and they promised to send two reports to the Department, one setting out the necessary repairs to keep the school habitable and the second setting out the major repairs necessary. Nothing happened for the rest of the year.
On 20 February 1984 a meeting took place in the school at which public representatives, the management board, teachers and parents attended. On 21 February 1984 the manager wrote to the Department and informed them of the meeting and of the steps to be taken. That letter was acknowledged on 6 March 1984 and it was stated they were still seeking a report. In March 1984 a further inspection was carried out by the Office of Public Works and a report was sent at the end of March or at the beginning of April. In April and May the manager was in touch with the Minister of State who acknowledged his representations. On 13 June the INTO became involved. They were in touch with the manager and with the Department setting out what would happen if the necessary repairs were not carried out.
On 28 June 1984 — this is the crux of the matter — the Department wrote to the manager and asked him for his views on amalgamation. These were sent back on 8 July and I should like to emphasise that date. On that date the manager replied setting out the views of the parents and emphatically rejecting amalgamation. On 17 July the Department said essential repairs would be carried out to make the school habitable and the Office of Public Works were so advised. On 13 September 1984 a further letter was received asking about amalgamation. On 10 October the manager sent a copy of his previous letter and on that date I had a question down in the House. The answer was that they were still awaiting a reply.
This school is in a very poor condition. As a matter of urgency the roof needs to be repaired or replaced. There is rain down and the floors are dangerous. I ask the Minister to ensure that work is put in hand immediately to make the school haibtable. I should also add that the Department informed the INTO on 30 July 1984 that repairs would be carried out as a matter of urgency.
I should like to determine first how much time I have to reply.
The Minister of State has two minutes.
It is not very satisfactory to have to reply to a question of this kind in two minutes. The Deputy raised some points that do not come within the responsibility of my Department. These questions are in relation to the Office of Public Works and I do not propose to deal with them.
On 10 October in reply to his question as to when urgently required repairs would be carried out to Creevagh national school, I advised the Deputy that proposals for amalgamation of Creevagh with Carrowmore school in the same parish had been put to the boards of management for their consideration in consultation with the parents and teachers. I went on to say that when the views of the interests concerned had been made known to my Department a decision in the case would be taken as quickly as possible.
This reply was given to the Deputy in good faith, on the basis that my Department had not heard from the chairman of the school's board of management. Since then, that is since 10 October, I have been shown a letter which was written by the person in question on that date to my Department enclosing a copy of a letter which he stated he had sent to an officer of the Department on 8 July 1984. The original of the letter dated 8 July 1984 has not come to light despite extensive inquiries. I must conclude that the letter in question went astray, and what I propose at this point is to deal with the problems which must be addressed arising from the request that major repair works be carried out at the school.
Creevagh national school is a two-teacher school of low enrolment. It was built in 1895. Its replacement was initially recommended by the Commissioners of Public Works as long ago as 1958. Carrowmore national school is four miles distant. The amalgamation of the two schools was first proposed in 1966. The majority of the parents of pupils at that time were in agreement with the proposal but the then school manager insisted that a permanent room rather than a prefab be built at Carrowmore to accommodate the Creevagh pupils before he would agree to proceeding with the amalgamation. Subsequent attempts to amalgamate the two schools came to nothing. In 1978, following a further unsuccessful attempt at amalgamation, the then Minister approved a grant for essential repairs and I understand these repairs were carried out.
Arising out of a letter from the chairman of 21 February 1984 my Department asked the Commissioners of Public Works to furnish a report and recommendations on the matters in relation to the school building raised by the chairman. Having regard to the possibility of future amalgamation the Commissioners were requested to detail the minimum essential improvements required to keep the school in a habitable condition and the chairman was so informed on 17 July 1984.
I have now seen the report furnished by the Commissioners of Public Works in this matter and they are adamant that there are not any minor works which could be carried out to this building which would result in the provision of suitable accommodation for pupils. Their report states that it would cost £46,000 to bring the condition of the building up to a satisfactory standard. It would simply be out of the question to consider expenditure of this magnitude on a school which was built in 1895 and where the current level of accommodation could, I am advised, be provided from the new one at lesser cost. Apart from any consideration of the propriety of spending public funds on such a project, the necessary local contribution to works of this magnitude would be a heavy imposition on the local community. Moreover to facilitate the carrying out of such works the school would have to be vacated.
In this situation the possibility of amalgamation has to be considered and this was an option put to the chairman in the Department's letter of 28 June 1984. While it is now apparent that the proposal to amalgamate with Carrowmore has been rejected by the local community I am not satisfied that they have arrived at this decision in full knowledge of the facts of the situation.
I would wish to assure the Deputy that the question of the accommodation at Creevagh is receiving urgent attention in my Department and that the matter will be further discussed with the chairman as soon as he is available with a view to securing a suitable solution to the immediate as well as the long term problems of national school provision.
The Dáil adjourned at 5.33 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 23 October 1984.