Deputy Farrelly gave me notice of his intention to raise on the Adjournment the subject matter of Ashbourne community school, County Meath.
Adjournment Debate. - Ashbourne (Meath) Community School.
I thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for having given me the opportunity to raise this important matter on the Adjournment this evening. The Minister of State present will be aware that this project first got the green light on 26 January 1982, when sanction was granted by the then Minister for Education for the provision of a second level school for Ashbourne and its catchment area. Having overcome many hurdles early in June 1985 a 14.5 acre site to the rear of the community complex was purchased by the Department of Education. Later that month the local community advanced the option of a community school versus a community college or a diocesan school, when the Bishop of Meath agreed to participate as a trustee of the school.
To date stages 1 and 2 of the planning of the 650-pupil school has been completed. Stage 3 — the development sketch — is expected to be completed within the next couple of weeks. Stages 4 and 5 were targeted to bring the project to tender stage by mid-summer this year. Over the period of years involved, the Department of Education co-operated in every way possible with the second level school committee. Indeed over the period of time when ever the committee wished to meet Ministers they were only too willing to do so, at the request of myself and Deputy J. Bruton, to ensure that the project was begun as quickly as possible. The committee learned that in 1985, when the site was purchased, Meath County Council had no objection whatsoever to its acquisition and did not contend that its purchase would have any effect on the proposed by-pass of the town of Ashbourne. However, this year the committee learned that there was some objection or problem raised. Officials of the Department of Education were to contact Meath County Council to sort out that problem five months ago. To date no meeting has taken place. It is a minor problem affecting a small corner of the site only. Had there been a commitment on the part of the present Government to have officials of the Department sort out the problem with Meath County Council the matter would have been resolved by now.
The second level school committee now feel that the project has been shelved. When the Coalition Government left office earlier this year there was no secret about the fact that the project was due to be started towards the end of this year with a completion date targeted for the school of 9 September 1989. The Minister may not be aware that there are at present 650 pupils being transported out of Ashbourne every morning to 12 different schools, ten in Dublin and two in County Meath.
I might point out that Ashbourne is one of the fastest growing towns in County Meath having over 3,000 on the voting register. To date the cost of transporting children on a weekly basis has amounted to well over £2,000. It will be seen clearly that the Minister has a role to play in ensuring that this project is brought to fruition. I am amazed that a request by Senator Wallace and three Deputies in the constituency for a meeting of the school committee with the Minister or her Minister of State has been refused. The reply was to the effect that the Department or Ministers themselves were not anxious to meet the committee at present. This committee is one of the finest with which I have worked and deserves better treatment.
If progress is not made on this project, then I believe my worst fears will be founded, which is that one of the fastest developing towns in County Meath will not have a second level school. I do not believe there is another town in the country with a population of comparable size that has not got a second level school of some kind. Indeed a local candidate in the last general election in the area, now a Senator, who sat in this Chamber over the summer period said that the Coalition Government had neglected the position, contending that Deputy John Bruton had no sympathy with the problem being encountered. I doubt very much that the project would have reached the stage it had when the Coalition Government left office were it not for the work of Deputy John Bruton and I, along with the commitment of the then Minister for Education who saw the genuine need of the children and their parents in the Ashbourne area.
The last leaflet circulated contended that this project must be brought to fruition, that, with Senator Mary Wallace having been elected to Seanad Éireann it would be. That leaflet bore the names of Deputies Dempsey, Hilliard and Lynch. Three matters must be tackled immediately if there is a genuine will and commitment to ensuring that this project is brought to fruition as soon as possible. First, the Minister or her Minister of State must request their Departmental officials to sort out the problem of the site vis-à-vis the proposed by-pass. The Department contend it constitutes a problem. Speaking as a member of Meath County Council I contend that it is not a large problem, that one meeting would sort out the matter. Second, I would ask the Minister of State to give a commitment here this evening to meet the second level school committee who have been involved in the project since 1980. In 1980 they made a request to meet the Minister, Deputy Wilson, and eventually in January 1982 they met Deputy John Boland who was then Minister. Later they met Deputy Hussey when she was Minister and the two different stages I mentioned were approved.
A number of other developments had taken place and the Department had accepted a commitment from the council about the site, which was purchased in 1985. It is an ideal site because of the community complex for which the Government before 1981 provided £100,000. Children attending the school could use the community complex on a daily basis. It would not cost the Department of Education any further money for the provision of such facilities.
I am sad I have had to raise this matter because we had all expected that work would have commenced on this project before the end of the year. I do not accept that the problem regarding the site could not be sorted out between the county council and the Department of Education, provided the senior Minister had the commitment to deal with the matter and arrange a meeting. Two years ago an agreement in principle was made that there was no problem about the site but now the council have decided there is a problem. I do not like to jump to conclusions but I hope the Department are not standing behind the council on this issue and using it as a way out of building the school. The council had no objections in 1985 and that is why the Department agreed to buy the site in the first place. I see Deputy Hilliard in the House and he is aware of the facts of this case since he was involved at the time the site was being purchased.
I ask the Minister to give a commitment to meet the committee on second level education, together with the public representatives, who should not be excluded. I also ask for a commitment that the officials of the Department will contact the county council and sort out the problem relating to the by-pass. This matter is costing the parents well over £2,000 per week and 650 children are being taken out of the town by bus to attend school, although Ashbourne is one of the largest developing towns in the county. We must consider the serious long term effect on property. When people are considering moving to the town they ask about the water supply and sewerage and whether there are schools available. The answer is that there are primary schools but there is no secondary school. I do not think there is a town of comparable size anywhere in the country which has no second level school and I ask the Minister to give a commitment that the project will go ahead as soon as possible.
The new second level school which has been sanctioned for Ashbourne will cater for 650 pupils and will be a deed of trust type community school. A school for 800 pupils was originally proposed. The commencement of architectural planning was delayed because of difficulties in acquiring a site. When the site was eventually agreed, the requirements for the area were reviewed by the planning section of my Department in the light of other developments proposed for the adjoining areas of Dunshaughlin and Dunboyne. The outcome was agreement that Dunboyne would get a separate school, that Dunshaughlin would not have an extension and that Ashbourne would get a new school for 650 pupils. A briefing session was held in the Department with the design team in January 1986 and architectural planning is proceeding. It is currently at stage III, the developed sketch scheme.
I wish to clear up one or two matters mentioned by the Deputy. There is no evidence on file of any great urgency with regard to the planning of this scheme over the past seven years. The parents originally initiated this project in 1980 but it is now only at stage III. This does not indicate any great urgency on the part of the previous Government. I should not like the Deputy to infer that this project has been proceeding with any great haste prior to last March.
That is the Minister's opinion.
Since it has taken seven years to get to stage III, it is quite clear that there has not been the degree of urgency one would have expected. The site at Ashbourne is located beside an existing sports complex which will be available for school use. This means that a separate physical education hall for the school is not required. The area of the site purchased is 14.5 acres and is larger than what would normally be required for a school of this size. The Department are considering the possibility of also locating a primary all-Irish school on part of the site, provided that this does not result in unacceptable restrictions being placed on the development of the community school.
In April 1987 the Department were informed that Meath County Council were anxious to acquire a portion of the site for the proposed Asbourne by-pass route. This was the first intimation the Department had of the county council's intention despite the fact that numerous discussions had been held heretofore with council officials regarding the site and its suitability for the proposed school.
Planning of the school has been delayed pending the resolution of this-matter. To date the county council have refused to consider a request from the Department to alter the route of the road away from the site. It is clear that if the county council proceed with the proposal it will mean that the all-Irish school could not be accommodated by this site and the layout of the community school facilities would have to be altered to accomodate the road. While this need not necessarily alter the location of the main buildings, it would certainly result in increased costs because much work would have to be written off.
I am prepared to make whatever efforts are necessary to make progress on this project. I do not accept that the Department have been negligent since last April in their efforts to reach agreement.
No progress has been made.
I am arranging for officials of my Department to have a further meeting with officials of Meath County Council on Wednesday 21 October in an effort to resolve the problems regarding the proposed road. When these problems are resolved the rate at which this project, as well as all capital projects, may proceed will depend on the availability of capital. The breakdown of the capital allocation for 1988 is now being examined by the Department in order to determine what projects, if any, may be allowed to proceed to the next stage of planning in the coming year.
With regard to the Deputy's statement about my failure to meet with the parents' committee, perhaps he would bring to my attention the request I got for such a meeting and the reply I gave indicating that I would not meet them.
Senator Walsh has it. The Senator told me the Minister was not anxious to meet them at present.
It is not a case of not being anxious to meet the parents at present——
I am only telling the Minister what I was told last night.
There is no point bringing those parents to Dublin on a wild goose chase. I am happy to meet them provided I have something worthwhile to discuss with them and that some progress can be made at such a meeting. At this time I can make no progress by meeting the parents because we must first sort out the difficulties which exist between Meath County Council and the Department. As I said, I am anxious to have those difficulties sorted out and that we proceed with the planning of this project but let me make it clear that when the difficulties are sorted out we will have to look at the further planning of this project in view of the current financial position. However, that question has not arisen to date and it will not arise until we reach agreement with Meath County Council on this proposal which, as I said earlier, we were not informed about until as late as last April. That is the present position. I am satisfied that the Department of Education have not in recent months neglected this project and that there has not been a slowdown with regard to its planning. It is proceeding as it has done over the last number of years.
The Dáil adjourned at 8.55 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 15 October 1987.