Deputy Deenihan gave me notice of his intention to raise the matter of the delay in the provision of an extension of Causeway Comprehensive School, County Kerry, resulting in students being forced to take classes in substandard accommodation.
Adjournment Debate. - Causeway (Kerry) School Project.
I thank the Chair for allowing me to raise this issue on the Adjournment. The board of management of Causeway Comprehensive School and Kerry vocational education committee have been compaigning for the past 12 years for the provision of phase two of their school. Phase one was completed in 1980. Throughout the years there have been many meetings, letters, departmental visits and deputations regarding the proposed extension. The Department finally committed themselves to providing a smaller extension of 830 square metres in the mid eighties. The Department of Education in a letter dated 25 May 1990 said that they were prepared to facilitate the rapid development of the project to the stage where tenders could be invited. At a meeting on 28 May 1990, Kerry vocational education committee accepted the Department's schedule and since December 1991 completed planning permissions have been with the Department.
All associated with the project were bitterly disappointed when the list of projects authorised by the outgoing Minister for start-up in 1992 were announced. To all concerned the Department's formal commitment to the early provision of phase two is now as valueless as previous commitments.
At the moment classes take place at four different locations — in the new school, in the old school, in prefabs on the site of the old school and in an old hall in the village. Six hundred and twenty pupils attend the school although there is only sufficient accommodation for 500. In the 1970s a committee and board of management agreed to accept the use of the old building only in the context of additional facilities to be provided on the new site which would allow for the lowest possible level of student movement over the exposed 400 metre connecting path and across the hazardous main road from Causeway to Bally-heigue. The movement of students from the old school to the new school results in major inconvenience, especially in bad weather conditions.
Causeway Comprehensive School is of major importance to the area. The school represents the amalgamation of three post primary schools and it has become the major focus for communtiy organisations. The school has co-operated with the local community to provide a fully developed games pitch and handball facilities together with changing room and shower facilities. The facilities are owned by the vocational education committee and shared with the community. The school has also developed a folk museum with special emphasis on agriculture and machinery. This school has a major role to play in serving as a focus for a scattered rural community. Its development is very much in line with the EC policy expressed in the document The Future of Rural Society.
At present Causeway school is losing many of its potential enrolments because of the failure of the Department to provide adequate accommodation. Present accommodation is grossly inadequate. The library continually occupied by two classes. There is not any sports hall or covered recreation area for the students. Constant wettings and chillings are experienced as children move across the open hillside between the buildings in bad weather. The delay in providing phase 2 of the school has served to weaken the school's ability to broaden its programmes and enhance its attraction to students who are now being canvassed by other post-primary schools. The spread of the school is causing problems with timetabling. Timetabling necessitates the movement of 240 students at various times over a distance of 450 metres. This results in loss of tuition time. The timetable must cope with movements of students, limited accommodation and restrictions on specialised rooms. This causes the students to suffer seriously on educational grounds. This unsatisfactory position has been recognised by the Department officials.
It is extremely regrettable and most frustrating that because of lack of action by the Department the development of this school is being held back and its growth stunted. The school is not reaching its full potential and is prevented from providing a better education service for the pupils of the area.
The teachers, parents and pupils of Causeway Comprehensive School are becoming increasingly frustrated and impatient at the lack of progress and obvious lack of commitment to this project. It is past time for the Minister to act to ensure the proper development of this school. I look forward to the Minister's confirmation that phase 2 of the school will be allowed to go to tender immediately so that work can commence in 1992.
I would like to thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it will enable me to inform the House of the up-to-date position with regard to this project.
I cannot comment in any substantial way on what was promised in 1984, although I understand that various changes in the plans for the school and changing financial circumstances were involved. My main concern at this stage, which I am sure is shared by the Deputy, is to progress the project from this point on as quickly as possible.
It may be of some assistance if I briefly provide some details of the project in planning for Causeway and outline the recent developments to illustrate that there has been no unreasonable delay in recent times in the planning of the accommodation.
The project at Causeway involves the provision by County Kerry vocational education committee of over 800 square metres of additional accommodation at the school, at a projected cost of over £400,000. This accommodation consists of three general classrooms and specialist classrooms for science, mechanical drawing, two woodwork rooms, a metalwork room, as well as ancillary accommodation.
The planning of this accommodation involves a set of detailed architectural stages being prepared by the design team, which are then carefully examined in the Department to ensure that the accommodation is as planned for, that the required standards are met and that cost control measures to ensure value for money for the State are implemented.
The latest stage of planning, the combined detailed design bill of quantities submission was requested by the Department on 1 November 1991 and received from the vocational education committee in January 1992. Since then the submission has been carefully examined by the Department's technical staff and in a letter of 25 February 1992 the County Kerry vocational education committee were asked to arrange for some amendments to the submission.
The vocational education committee responded to the Department's letter on 6 March 1992, but indicated that some additional material would be forwarded shortly. This material is still awaited in my Department.
I have illustrated that there has been no recent unnecessary delay in the planning of this project.
The next stage of the project, should the requested amendments prove satisfactory, will be the invitation to tender. I assure the Deputy that every effort will be made, within the resources available, to include this project among those for which tenders may be sought in 1992.
A request has been made to me by Deputy McEllistrim to meet a deputation from the school as soon as possible. I have agreed and I hope the meeting will take place within the next few weeks.