Vol. 448 No. 6
19 Kathleen Lynch asked the Minister for Education the number of primary schools without indoor sanitation; the number of children affected; the plans, if any, she has to remedy the situation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2540/95]
I do not at present have up to date information on the number of primary schools without indoor toilet facilities. However, I will have this data when the analysis of an accommodation survey of all primary schools, undertaken last year, is completed.
A total of 202 applications for the upgrading of sanitary facilities were received from primary school authorities in response to a scheme which I initiated last year to deal specifically with sanitation problems, including lack of indoor toilet facilities, in primary schools.
Grants totalling over £0.5 million have already been sanctioned in respect of 91 projects under this special scheme and the other applications are being dealt with. Other schools would have had sanitary facilities improved under the general programme of refurbishment and renewal of substandard primary school accommodation.
I am satisfied that considerable progress has been made and will continue to be made towards the elimination of inadequate sanitary facilities in primary schools.
Given our wide ranging discussion today and the fact that the area of education to which I referred is probably the only university these children will ever attend, will the Minister agree to set a definite date for the elimination of these facilities? The 202 applications are a fair indication of the number of primary schools without indoor sanitation facilities. I want to quote from a survey in the Irish Independent——
Quotations at Question Time are not in order. Questions, please.
A recent survey indicated that approximately 24 per cent of primary schools do not have drinking water. This is an indication of the number of schools which do not have the type of facilities to which I referred. Will the Minister set a final date for the provision of these facilities to all primary school children?
We have identified 167 schools which would not be dealt with under the general programme and which would not be closed due to falling numbers or amalgamation. The boards of management of schools were invited to apply for assistance. A total of 202 applications were received, 17 schools indicated that they were not seeking grant aid and 48 schools did not apply. Ninety-one projects have been sanctioned at a cost of £0.5 million. In most cases the Department is awaiting the preparation of specifications and estimates from the Office of Public Works.
Last year I made a specific attempt to inform schools that the day of the outdoor toilet was gone. All schools built in the past 20 years have indoor toilet facilities. Last year we identified schools and invited them to apply for grant aid. Grants totalling more than £0.5 million have been sanctioned. Last year the Department carried out a survey of the condition and size of school buildings and one of the questions related to this area. We are ready to input that information to the Department's computer system, after which I should be able to ascertain if schools have escaped this net. I hope that all schools in need will have been identified by the end of the year and that work on indoor toilet facilities will be completed in most cases. However, some schools may still have to be identified. I think the information required is at my disposal in the Department. We are talking about approximately 265 schools.
I cannot believe the Minister could say she did not know the number of schools affected. She then went on to say that she initiated a survey last year. Will it take her years to accomplish everything that has to be done? The same difficulty arose with the de Buitléir report. How can the Minister say that satisfactory progress is being made when she does not know the starting point?
A survey was carried out in 1991 and that information is available to me. Last year a survey was carried out of the complete itinerary of school buildings and this will specifically identify those schools which did not avail of grants for general refurbishment. Before I initiated the scheme last year we did not differentiate between the installation of indoor toilets and the refurbishment of schools. This problem came to my attention at a local level when I discovered that a school in Sallynoggin which I would have considered to be fairly modern still had outdoor toilet facilities. This school did not apply for a grant for refurbishment. People should not have to leave a school building, regardless of the weather, to use sanitary facilities. Last year we identified 267 schools with outdoor toilet facilities and most of these are being dealt with.
Under the existing scheme boards of management have to apply for funding and I would be somewhat concerned that a small number of them do not apply to the Department for grant aid. Aid is available to these schools and I will be satisfied when all the schools we have identified and the few which may come to our attention this year have adequate sanitation facilities, which means indoor toilets and not outdoor toilets in the school yard.
Given the number of applications for grant aid for indoor sanitation facilities, will the Minister issue a directive to the recalcitrant boards of management whom she has implicitly criticised for their tardiness in applying for participation in the scheme and suggested that they have to apply before she can respond?
I did not criticise them.
Will she instruct them to put their schools in order in terms of providing indoor sanitation facilities for young primary school children? Will she confirm the details of the grant aid? Is 100 per cent grant aid given for such facilities? If not, is there a danger that some schools, particularly those in poorer areas, will be unable to provide matching resources? This may be one of the reasons some schools have not been in a position to provide proper indoor sanitation facilities.
It is important to put on record that we are talking about a very small number of schools. The boards of management were invited by the Department to apply for normal grant assistance which amounts to 85-90 per cent of the cost. A total of 202 applications were received, 17 schools indicated they were not seeking grant aid for improvement works and 48 schools did not apply. I will be able to ascertain the condition of the schools which did not apply when the results of the 26 county survey are inputted to the Department's computer system. We are talking about a very small number of schools, but nevertheless we expect proper facilities for pupils.
