With due respect to the Minister of State, I wonder where the Labour Minister for Education is. This is the second time in a week I have been fortunate to receive permission to raise a matter on the Adjournment, but, unfortunately, I have yet to see the Minister for Education.
Adjournment Debate. - Milford (Donegal) Vocational School.
She is working hard elsewhere.
This matter relates to the heroic efforts of teachers and parents alike since 1978 to have a new vocational school provided in Milford, County Donegal. The original school was built almost 40 years ago to cater for 95 students. The present enrolment is 441 and growing steadily.
As far back as October 1984 the Department authorised County Donegal vocational education committee to purchase a seven acre site approved by Mr. Noel Montayne, co-ordinator of the Department's building unit. The parents made a substantial contribution towards the cost of the site which was purchased in the summer of 1985.
During the following seven years the number of pupils continued to grow. During this period there was a prolonged debate on a proposal to incorporate the school as part of a community school with the Loreto College. Finally, in December 1992 the Minister for Education, Deputy Séamus Brennan, gave a written commitment to build a new vocational school for 500 pupils. A little over a year later the current Minister authorised the planning of a new school.
Since the summer of 1994 there has been a lack of progress by the Department in moving to stages three and four of the architectural planning of the project. County Donegal vocational education committee has been waiting with growing impatience and concern for sanction. It has written to the Department on five occasions between 27 July and 7 November. A mood of desperation has now set in. In its most recent letter its chief executive officer, Mr. Seán Ó Longáin, has pleaded that the Department should convey written approval to proceed to stages three and four as a matter of the greatest urgency, in time for its forthcoming meeting on Monday, 20 November.
I sincerely hope the reason for the delay in recent months is not related to the efforts of the Minister's colleague, the Minister for Finance, to get her to drastically reduce her Department's Estimate because the children of Milford deserve better.
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. It gives me the opportunity to outline the current position regarding the present and future position of post-primary education in Milford. There are two post primary schools in Milford, namely, Loreto College and the vocational school. The current enrolment in these schools is 1,086.
The organisation of post primary facilities in this centre has been the subject of much discussion over a number of years, mainly directed at achieving a single school development. However, early in 1994 my Department decided that the Loreto College be redesignated as a community school and that a new replacement vocational school to cater for 500 pupils should be provided.
It is expected that the new community school will be effective from early 1996. The developments in relation to the new vocational school are as follows: in early 1994 a schedule of accommodation to provide for 500 pupils was agreed with County Donegal Vocational Education Committee. A design team was appointed by the vocational education committee and architectural planning was initiated in summer 1994. Following a series of informal discussions and consultations with my Department's technical staff, stages I and II documentation required under my Department's design team procedures was submitted earlier this year for formal approval by the Department.
That occurred on 27 July.
That is correct. As a result of detailed examination of this submission by my Department's technical staff, the Department wrote to the vocational education committee seeking further information and made a number of suggestions in relation to the project. The current situation is that my Department's technical advisers are examining a revised joint Stage I and II planning submission in respect of this project.
In relation to the last point that Deputy McDaid raised, the question of proceeding to construction will depend on the availability of capital funding when the planning process is complete.