I wish to share my time with Deputies Batt O'Keeffe and Dan Wallace.
Adjournment Debate. - Cork School Funding.
Is that agreed? Agreed.
I raised the matter of Cork school funding to highlight the appalling conditions under which children attending St. Mary's special school in Rochestown must operate due to the breakdown of the heating system. It is disgraceful that their needs have been ignored for so long. On a number of days since January, the school has had to close and the children were sent home due to freezing conditions. Children and staff should not have to endure conditions such as this. Over the past four years, the level of heating in the school has regularly fallen markedly below the acceptable regulation temperature of 16 degrees celsius and the level was nearer to ten to 12 degrees in areas of the school on occasion. Such conditions are in breach of the Government's Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 1989. It is not possible for the school authorities to use alternative heating as the electrical system is not capable of safely providing the additional voltage. There would be a danger of causing a serious fire hazard and gas heaters are not allowed in schools for obvious reasons of safety. While most schools close immediately when the temperature is below the regulation level, it is not possible for St. Mary's to send its pupils home once they arrive. The school transport route serves Blarney, Kinsale and Cork city centre as well as intermediate areas of city and county.
Over the past two years, the board of management has worked tirelessly to secure departmental approval to replace the heating and electrical systems in the school. The board has found the process a most frustrating experience. All its consultants' preparatory work has been accepted and approved by the Department. The school requires sanction to proceed to tender and to acquire the necessary funds to ensure the immediate start of the project. Otherwise, children will continue to be sent home with the difficulties this entails for parents, staff and the children. The work will cost about £200,000. The Minister has a budget this year of more than £100 million.
This project is urgent, demanding an emergency response and I am disappointed the Minister for Education is not present this evening to address the issue and to respond to it. I mean no offence to the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Deputy Deenihan, who will give her reply but it is disgraceful the Minister is not here. She said in the Dáil a number of weeks ago that emergency funding was allocated to projects which fulfilled the necessary criteria. This project demands such an emergency response and I fail to understand why St. Mary's cannot be funded under this heading. Deputy Peter Barry wrote to the school principal on 22 January 1997 stating that the project was included in the budget Estimates. I have no doubt he was acting in good faith but who told him this? I would appreciate it if the Minister would clarify that. She should act urgently given the circumstances and the obvious need to allow these children to attend their school in comfort and under conditions which will not militate against their health and wellbeing. I appeal to the Minister to make funding available to ensure immediate construction.
This is a school for children with special needs. The Government and the Department of Education must ensure everything possible is done for such a school. It has had problems with heating and the electrical system over a number of years and has had to close for five days since Christmas. Imagine those special children in a classroom wearing overcoats and gloves because of the cold. Imagine the frustration parents and teachers feel as a result. Imagine the organisational difficulties in closing such a school on a day when the children cannot be sent home because parents may be out of the house. Someone must be in the house to receive them.
It is extraordinary that special funding was to be provided for this school and Government Ministers indicated it was provided. It is extraordinary that the Minister, replying to my question of a month ago, indicated she would examine this project in terms of providing funding, yet the parents and relatives of these children have had to take to the streets to highlight the issue. Action must be taken now and the paltry sum of £200,000 provided immediately.
I condemn the Minister and the Department for the callous way in which the children attending St. Mary's special school in Rochestown have been treated. It was appalling that, on Monday, the parents of those children had to picket the Department of Education offices in the South Mall to draw attention to the unsatisfactory situation in Rochestown. The case has been made by my colleagues. I strongly urge the Minister to ensure the necessary funding is provided immediately to solve this problem. There is enough pressure on the parents of children with special needs attending the school and I strongly urge the Minister to rectify the situation and announce that funding will be provided to carry out the necessary works immediately.
I am glad the Deputy has given me the opportunity of outlining to the House the Department of Education's current position regarding St. Mary's Special School, Rochestown, County Cork. The Minister is aware that the school has a current staffing of a principal and eight assistant teachers with an enrolment of 99 and it has been experiencing problems with its heating system.
The position regarding the heating works is that the Department advised the school management to engage a consulting engineer to report on the heating installation. Having considered the report, the Department recommended that the school management instruct the consulting engineer to prepare drawings and specifications for the proposed works. These, along with a proposed tender list, are now with the Department.
Due to budgetary constraints, the Minister is not in a position to authorise the release of this project to tender immediately.
That is disgraceful.
The Deputies will be aware she is dealing with a backlog of urgent projects arising out of major cuts in primary school capital funding in the 1988-92 period.
There is plenty of money for Dún Laoghaire.
The Fianna Fáil Administration during that period devastated and emasculated the primary education budget. The Minister has been catching up since.
Recently, she approved 27 national school projects which were already included on a capital building programme for tender and contract stages. However, it was not possible to include all deserving projects in the first round of projects which were allowed to proceed to tender stage. The Minister will keep expenditure on the primary school building programme under review during the year——
That is not good enough.
——and she expects to release a number of additional projects to tender and contract on a phased basis later this year.
This is very disappointing.
Have some respect for the speaker.
Let us hear the Minister's reply.
The Deputies are obviously not here to listen to it. They are not interested.
I am surprised at this sort of reply being given.
It is nonsense.
It is a reflection of the neglect when Fianna Fáil was in office.
We are looking for £200,000 for heating for the school.
Interruptions must cease and the Minister of State must be heard.
He is the bearer of bad news.
The number of projects to be released will be contingent on the results of the tender process for the 27 projects already announced, the progress of these projects, and the overall funding position at the time. The school will be kept informed of developments.
We do not want only to be kept informed.
The Department was advised by the school management of the necessity to close the school on 28 February last to allow the ESB to carry out essential work in the locality. The Department is not aware that the current difficulties have necessitated the pupils' withdrawal from school.
That is not true. It is aware.
Deputy Martin, please desist.
I apologise, but that is an inaccurate statement. I spoke to someone in the building unit this morning who confirmed the local inspector had made a report.
The Deputies can be assured that the needs of the school will receive every consideration at the appropriate time. The Minister will do everything possible to ensure this project will go ahead.
The only matter we need to be informed about is the provision of money for this project.
I am disappointed at the behaviour of the Deputies. They were not prepared to listen.
It is easy for the Minister of State to be disappointed, but if he was in Cork and had to put up with this problem he would be very annoyed.