Deputy Seán Barrett gave me notice of his intention to raise on the Adjournment problems appertaining at St. Brigid's school, Cornelscourt. The Deputies have nine minutes and the Minister has five.
Adjournment Debate. - Foxrock National School, Dublin.
Thank you for giving me time on the Adjournment to raise this matter. I am doing so on behalf of the five Deputies in the constituency and it is my intention to share my time with them.
I have grave concern regarding St. Brigid's school and the totally unacceptable accommodation available at present for boys and girls. Admittedly, the girls will be transferred to a new 12-class room be transferred to a new 12-class room building at Cabinteely Park next September but the boys will be left with six classrooms in the permanent building which was built in 1914. Eight classrooms have to be accommodated in prefabricated buildings, dating back to the late sixties and early seventies. Because of their age, these buildings are now in a deplorable and dangerous condition and are totally unsuitable for the purposes for which they are used. On Tuesday, 9 February, the wall of one of the classrooms collapsed and another had to be propped up as it, too, was about to collapse into a classroom.
It is estimated that there will be 460 boys in the school next September and it is totally improper, particularly from a safety point of view, to expect them to be taught in the conditions that currently exist. We are very fortunate to have a dedicated group of teachers in St. Brigid's because no other group of employees would tolerate the conditions under which they have to operate.
I ask the Minister to give me and my fellow Deputies from the constituency of Dún Laoghaire an assurance that he will give an immediate go-ahead for the construction of phase 2 of the school at Cabinteely Park and that work should commence immediately. I hope that phase 2 will consist of at least 12 classrooms. Pending the completion of phase 2, immediate negotiations should commence with the board of management in regard to replacing the dangerous prefabricated buildings which should be replaced by others in good repair.
I should like to thank Deputy Barrett for allowing me a few minutes in which to speak. I support what Deputy Barrett said and I ask the Minister for Education to meet the headmaster, Mr. Donald O'Meara and the parents and teachers as we have been seeking such a meeting for some time. I know the response will be positive.
In relation to the school, there was a meeting with the public representatives and I also had a meeting with Mr. O'Meara and one of the parents. To say the very least, the school is literally rotting. As Deputy Barrett said, a number of walls have fallen in. If the big storm of the night of 9 February had occurred during the daytime, we would be talking about something else today.
The school is in a very dangerous condition and we, as public representatives in the area, are asking that it be replaced as a matter of some urgency. Some 460 boys are supposed to be educated in the school from next September and, in those circumstances, one can appreciate the urgency. Like other Deputies, I have had the pleasure of knowing the teachers in the school over the years and they are first class. I should like to pay a tribute to them and to the parents for their forbearance and patience in regard to the conditions in which their young children are educated.
I wish strongly to be associated with my colleagues in regard to this issue. I visited the school and, with my colleagues, met the parents and teachers. We await with great anxiety and interest the reply from the Minister of State on this question. It is of the utmost urgency that progress should be made in regard to the defects in the school.
I should like to join with my colleagues in the appeal to the Minister about this school. All Deputies from the constituency are concerned about the damage caused to it. We attended a meeting of the teachers and were also present at a packed meeting of parents. Many of those parents, because of the condition of the school, are concerned about the safety of their children when in the building. I am sure the Minister agrees that that is not the way we would wish our primary education system to be viewed. The teachers emphasise that the young population in that area is rising, unlike in other parts of the constituency, and that the catchment area for the school is very large. There will continue to be a need for a big school there. I hope the Minister can respond positively and urgently to our request.
My Department on 12 February received notification from the chairman of St. Brigid's boys' national school, Foxrock, Dublin 18 to the effect that there had been a collapse of the panels of a number of prefabricated classrooms in use by the school. The chairman stated that an examination of the classrooms revealed serious decay, which rendered the structures completely unstable and consequently unsafe for occupation. The school authorities decided to close four classrooms indefinitely and requested an immediate meeting with senior officials of my Department to consider the situation.
There are two schools in Foxrock serving the community in question, a boys' school with 13 teachers, not including the principal, and a girls' school with 11 teachers, not including the principal. There are also two remedial teachers. There are eight classrooms of traditional construction in the complex, and the balance of the classrooms are of prefabricated construction. The Deputies may be aware that at present, with grant-aid from my Department, a new 12-class-room permanent building is under construction, and this will replace the prefabricated classrooms.
The Deputies will also be aware that a severe storm took place on the day of the reported collapse of the prefab panels. It would be a matter in the first instance for the school authorities to take action in securing the safety of the pupils attending the schools, and to attend to the necessary repairs. While this aspect of the matter was not mentioned by the chairman in the course of his written notification to my Department, it would be usual for the school authorities where storm-damage is concerned to consult with their insurers about the recovery of the cost of repairing storm-damage.
My Department have responded to the chairman's notification by asking their local professional architecural advisers to inspect the damage and to make recommendations as to what work should be undertaken in order to put the prefabricated classrooms in serviceable condition. I understand that a building inspector recently visited the site and that his report will shortly be submitted. This report will contain an estimate of the cost of necessary work, and following its receipt there will be consultations with the chairman as to the procedures necessary to restore the normal functioning of the school. I am asking that a senior official of my Department's primary buildings branch will attend to this matter at the earliest possible date.
As I have mentioned earlier, a new 12-classroom school building is under construction and this is expected to be ready about September next. It will replace the prefabricated classrooms which can then be phased out.
What the Minister has read out is not exactly accurate. I understand that 160 pupils will remain in the old school, a six-classroom building. It is not possible to accommodate 460 boys in six or eight classrooms. Will the Minister accept it is not possible to repair prefabs if the walls are falling? As Deputy Andrews said, those walls are rotten. Prefab buildings have a lifespan of 12 or 14 years and the prefab buildings at Cornelscourt are almost 27 years old. To tell us that it will be possible to carry out repairs, or get an insurance company to cover the buildings against storm damage, is wishing too much.
I wish to support Deputy Barrett.
Notwithstanding the fact that some time remains at this stage of the Adjournment Debate a Deputy may put questions. The Deputy will be out of order if he attempts to make a statement or a second contribution.
Will the Minister, arising out of the statement he made to the House, agree to have a look at the school or ask the Minister for Education to do so? It needs to be replaced and that is the only answer to the problem. I am concerned about the Minister's statement having regard to what we know about the condition of the building.
In the course of his reply the Minister said that a building inspector visited the school recently and I should like to know if he has received a report from that official as to the extent of the damage.
No, but the report is expected shortly. I accept the point made by the Deputies that if the accommodation cannot be repaired we will have to consider providing alternative accommodation in the short term. I will look at that matter at the first opportunity available.
We are discussing the condition of a very large school and for that reason I should like to ask the Minister if he will consider inspecting it with us.
I would be delighted to look at the school.
The Dáil adjourned at 5.30 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 15 March 1988.