Is the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Deputy Deenihan, taking this Department of Education matter?
Adjournment Debate. - Glanmire-Riverstown (Cork) School.
An agriculture matter was to be taken but its proposer pulled out at the last minute and I was asked to take this education matter.
The questions I wish to raise are in respect of the long promised school for the Riverstown-Glanmire area of County Cork. The history of that school is well known to the current Minister for Education, Deputy Bhreathnach. The need for a school in that location was officially established in 1985 when the County Cork Vocational Education Committee purchased a plot for the site of a new school in Riverstown-Glanmire.
In the meantime, little action of any kind was taken to proceed with the proposal until such time as a local committee was established and a vigorous and well focused campaign was put in place in the area aimed at getting ministerial approval and sanction for the erection of a school in that area.
However, it was not until two years ago that the current Minister for Education, Deputy Bhreathnach, responding to representations by the local voluntary committee and local public representatives, sent two officials from her Department to the area to assess the situation on the ground. They spoke with parent groups and the voluntary committee, assessed the situation and reported to the Minister. Their recommendation was that there was a clear need for such a school in the area and that the school should be proceeded with.
It is to the credit of the Minister that she gave her approval for the school and sanction was given more than a year ago. This was an enormous relief to the parents and students who, as matters stand, are compelled to leave their community every day to travel by bus to attend a range of schools outside the parish. The commencement of the building is eagerly awaited. Of late, some concern is emerging that the project may not now be proceeding as planned. For that reason I tabled this matter this evening.
I ask the Minister to answer two simple questions to clarify the issue and put it beyond speculation or confusion. First, will the Minister tell the House the commencement date for the construction of that school? Second, will the Minister tell the House if provision will be made in the 1996 budget to enable the project to proceed and be completed within the time set out when approval was granted?
On behalf of the Minister, I want to respond to this Adjournment Debate. On the basis of this reply, I feel there is no basis or reason for the Deputy's concern in this matter.
In 1994 approval was given by the Department of Education for the provision of a community college in the Glanmire-Riverstown area of Cork to cater for 750 pupils and the County Cork Vocational Education Committee was authorised to employ a design team to plan the school. Architectural planning is proceeding and funds have been made available this year in respect of design fees. The project is at stage three of the planning process at present, i.e. developed sketch scheme stage. The stage three documents are currently being examined by the Department's technical staff.
Further stages of planning to be completed by the vocational education committee's design team include detail design, the preparation of a bill of quantities and the invitation of tenders. When the tenders have been examined, the question of placing the contract for the building work will then arise.
At this stage, it is not possible to indicate when the project will proceed to construction as this will depend on the availability of funding when the planning process has been fully completed and has reached tender stage. Accordingly, the question of allowing the project to proceed to construction can only be considered in the context of the capital allocation for post-primary building purposes in 1996.
The omens do not look that good.
The Deputy will appreciate that while the financial resources available to the Department of Education for building purposes are limited, the demand for new and replacement accommodation in the post-primary sector has been, and will continue to be, very high.
Nevertheless, the Minister for Education is conscious of the urgent need for post-primary accommodation in the Glanmire-Riverstown area and I assure the House and the Deputy that every effort is being made by the County Cork Vocational Education Committee and the Department of Education to have the planning of the college completed as quickly as possible with a view to inviting tenders as soon as the necessary funding is available.
I want to add that a standard size physical education hall was offered in line with the planning of the school and this is most welcome. An application for an enlarged area was recently made by the vocational education committee to the sports section in the Department and is currently being considered. This is something which I would favour.
Will the Minister push for the funding?
Absolutely.