Vol. 427 No. 8
5 Ms O'Donnell asked the Minister for Education if she intends to honour the commitment made by her predecessor to build a 400/500 pupil community school at Scholarstown Road, Knocklyon, Dublin 16; if the designs and plans for the school are nearing completion; if tenders will be sought in the spring of 1993; and if the school will open for first enrolments in September 1994.
64 Mr. Cullen asked the Minister for Education if she intends to honour the commitment made by the former Minister for Education to build a 400-500 pupil community school at Scholarstown Road, Knocklyon, Dublin 16; if the designs and plans for the school are nearing completion; if tenders will be sought in spring 1993; and if the school will open for first enrolments in September 1994.
78 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Education whether the construction of Knocklyon Community School has been sanctioned; if so, the date it was sanctioned; the size of the school that is to be built; the modifications to be made to the original plans prepared for the construction of the school; the date on which construction is to commence; the date when the school is to open; whether the full capital funding for the construction of the school has been approved by the Government; and the amount of funding involved.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 5, 64 and 78 together.
I have had the post-primary capital programme reviewed following confirmation of the capital allocation for 1993 in the published Estimates for Public Services. Regrettably, it was not possible to include this project in the 1993 capital programme within the allocation available and having regard to other commitments and priorities, including the needs of disadvantaged areas. It will, of course, be considered for inclusion in due course in the light of available resources.
I am very disappointed to hear this news, as will the residents of the community of Scholarstown-Knocklyon. This issue has been around for the past ten years. Is the Minister aware that on 12 November 1992 her immediate predecessor, Deputy Séamus Brennan, now a Junior Minister in the present Administration, wrote to the Knocklyon post primary committee saying he had sanctioned a 400 pupil school——
I have to dissuade the Deputy from quoting at Question Time. It is not in order.
I am sorry. That was a commitment. It is a very relevant quote because it is a letter and it was in the month of a general election.
It is not appropriate now, Deputy.
On what basis is this sanction withdrawn since it was an electoral promise? Is it any wonder that politics is held in such low esteem and repute in this country when a Minister can give a commitment two weeks before an election and when it comes to the point it is withdrawn? It is an absolute disgrace. What is the criterion? What does the Minister mean when she says that the needs of disadvantaged areas will be taken into account? It is fast becoming a disadvantage for people to be in the middle income group.
I am anxious to facilitate the Deputy in eliciting information.
It is a scandal.
The questioning is going on for far too long.
I am aware that a letter issued in November promising the start of this project. On taking up office I had to review the 1993 capital programme. Because of the need to properly use the capital funds in this year it was not found possible to start the scheme this year or to provide funding for 18 other school projects on the priority list in my Department at post primary level.
I am calling Deputy Alan Shatter, whose Question No. 78 refers.
There is a number of questions I should like to ask. First, can the Minister confirm that it was not correct to state in November last that the project in question had been sanctioned for a 400 pupil intake and that the first intake would be in September 1994? Second, can the Minister confirm that at that time there had been no final irrevocable allocation of £250,000 in the 1993 Estimates to commence construction of this school? Third, can the Minister indicate the names, if any, of the architects, quantity surveyors, structural engineers or service engineers who were appointed at that time or since 13 November with regard to the construction of this school? Fourth, can the Minister indicate whether her Department incurred any expenditure between 1 November 1992 and this date in relation to the construction of this school?
The Deputy's first question asked about the position coming up to the change of Government. I have to repeat that when I entered the Department of Education we were in a budgetary situation. The spending of the capital allocation, which had been increased by 21 per cent, had to be reviewed by my Department in light of commitments made in the general election to the capital building programme. Second, the Deputy asked if a specific sum of money had been earmarked for the scheme. On the capital side the Department was given an overall budget figure. There were contractual agreements already in place and some projects had begun, there were 18 projects which were not given the go-ahead. In the light of the overall figure the allocation of funding was done on that basis. The project team was in place. I have not signalled to the House that this scheme is to be abandoned. We had to look at the amount of money available to be spent in 1993. The Deputy's final question asked whether I could confirm what moneys were spent. I cannot confirm that for the Deputy now but I am sure I will be in a position to come back to him on it if he wishes.
I would like to get to the specifics. Is the Minister saying that when her predecessor told the community in Knocklyon that this school would be built and that he had available to him funds for its construction to commence in 1993, he was misleading the community in Knocklyon? When the Minister said she wanted to ensure that the capital allocation funds were being properly used can she confirm that in the context of the allocation being increased by 21 per cent this year there still was not sufficient funding to build this school? Can the Minister indicate to the House how many other schools the former Minister for Education, Deputy Brennan, promised at election time——
That is quite an extension of the question.
——that the Minister has had to cancel because the funding was never allocated?
We must stick with the Knocklyon community school question and nothing else at this stage.
It has happened all over the country. It is a disgrace.
Let us make some worthwhile progress at Questions today.
Allow the Minister to make some progress.
Deputy Shatter must desist. I am calling Question No. 6.
It is a disgrace.
Deputy Shatter must desist. He may not ignore the Chair in this fashion. Resume your seat, please. I have called Question No. 6.
The Labour Party and Fianna Fáil have abandoned the Knocklyon community.
If Deputy Shatter cannot contain himself in quietude he knows what the result will be.
It is a disgrace.
