I will abide by the admonition. I have raised this matter in the House before. It is a long, ongoing saga, and I am compelled by circumstances to raise it once again for the attention of the new Minister for Education and the Minister of State who is present. I hope that not only will I be satisfied with the response, but the people of Wexford will be satisfied with the response tonight.
The situation in the town of Wexford vocational school is nothing short of scandalous. From the documentation undoubtedly available to him, the Minister will be aware of the terrible conditions that students, teachers and the parents of those students must put up with in the school. For 14 years they have worked towards the idea of having a new school built. Today 660 students are housed in eight pre-fabricated buildings, two cloakrooms, four converted bedrooms and two converted town houses. There are no staff toilets, no gymnasium, no proper kitchen, no social area, no geography room, no career guidance room, no assembly hall, no staffroom — I could go on about all the basic essentials one would assume to be available in a school that simply do not exist there.
Last April the former Minister for Education, Deputy O'Rourke, visited the school and saw the conditions in which the teachers and pupils worked. Despite those appalling conditions we are getting marvellous results. The Minister gave a pledge to the chairman, to the Oireachtas Members and to the people of Wexford, that there would be no undue delay in relation to providing finances to complete the urgent works necessary. We took the Minister in good faith and indeed the local Deputy, the Minister's colleague, graced our local paper with the announcement "New vocational education committee school is sanctioned for Wexford". We welcome that because parents, teachers and pupils have been extraordinarily patient, tolerant and responsible in this matter. We have accepted a modification of plans and all the restrictions imposed in relation to this matter by the Department over many years.
One can imagine, therefore, the dismay that greeted the announcement by the former Minister for Education, Deputy Davern, on 11 February, when he published the public capital programme for secondary and vocational schools. It outlined projects up and down the country and indeed a very welcome one in my constituency, in Gorey, but there was nothing for Wexford. It is felt that it was a reneging on a pledge and commitment from his predecessor. What I am asking for tonight, in the name of all the people of Wexford, is for the Minister of State to clarify this matter. There should be no ambiguity, no fudging the issues. There should be a clear statement of the Government's intention in regard to the funding of this project for 1992. I cannot over-state to the Minister the negative reaction of parents who are suggesting that they will take to the streets; of teachers, who have now decided and have served notice on Wexford Vocational Education Committee of their intention to withdraw labour from substandard classrooms beginning on 18 March next, one month from this week. They have been brought to the end of their tether, and the limit of their patience in this matter. I appeal to the Minister once again to be clear about this and to give us the good news that the commitment of the Minister's predecessor will be honoured and we will have our money for this year to complete this urgent project.