Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 6 Feb 2003

Vol. 560 No. 5

Adjournment Debate. - Schools Refurbishment.

Mr. Rabbitte

I welcome this opportunity to deal with the broken promises of this Government in respect of the refurbishment programme at St. Killian's junior and senior schools, Kingswood. There is a huge catchment area surrounding these two schools which have been in a sad state of disrepair since the mid-1980s. In good times and bad, the essential work has not been done. Despite the recent boom period, the opportunity was not taken to provide adequate facilities for school-going children in this area.

I can best summarise the situation by referring to my statement in the Official Report of Dáil Éireann of 21 March last year, when I raised this matter by way of a formal Adjournment debate. On that occasion I stated:

The senior school was built in 1986 and has classrooms only. There is no hall and there are no specialist facilities. The junior school was built in 1979 and is in a sad state of disrepair. The entire roof, which is made of asbestos, needs to be completely replaced. There are few gutters remaining on the buildings due to van dalism. All guttering and windows need to be replaced and the entire building needs to be rewired. The senior school requires a general purposes room, servery, equipment store, library, resource area and storage, a multipurpose room, a general office, a principal's office, WC and shower facility suitable for disabled use and general utility storage. The entire building requires suitable perimeter fencing to provide security from vandalism.

That is still the situation today. The parents of the area have been waiting since 1986. As cruel fate would have it in this business, the Minister who took the Adjournment debate on that occasion was none other than the then Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Deputy Noel Dempsey, who is now Minister for Education and Science. What did he say?

In the Dáil on 21 March 2002, he stated that "The Minister assures me that a project to refurbish St. Killian's junior and senior schools will proceed to the invitation of tenders as soon as possible under the expanded building programme." That sentence was calculatedly intended to convey to the parents of the area that the work was going to tender. That is what Deputy Dempsey said and, ironically, he is now the Minister for Education and Science.

For the nine months prior to the election, Fianna Fáil spent an unprecedented amount of money in essentially targeting my seat.

Mr. Durkan

I know the feeling.

Mr. Rabbitte

I have no objection to that, but I do object to the ruthless abuse of the confidence of parents and way they were mislead. For example, on 26 April a circular was sent around by the two Fianna Fáil candidates. The one I have here is signed by the then councillor, Charlie O'Connor. He was not happy with telling them what he had obtained from the then Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Woods, but he said that "I viewed this matter as so important that I also raised it with An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern TD. I am pleased to inform you that approval has been given to go to tender which as you know has been outstanding for some time."

Here we had a local candidate going around in Kingswood with pieces of paper saying to residents and parents that they have the approval of the Taoiseach himself to convey the expectation that this long outstanding project had been approved to go to tender. Nothing could have been further from the truth and as soon as the election was over, there were no JCBs, there were no men with shovels, there were no carpenters and there was nobody repairing gutters. The asbestos roof is still there and is now leaking. Nothing happened and the parents were then told it will be on the programme for 2003. The programme for 2003 duly arrived but there was nothing in it for St. Killian's junior or senior schools.

What is such behaviour doing in terms of damaging confidence in politics? Fianna Fáil went around door-to-door suggesting that I was misleading the people because I had gone to great pains after the Minister, Deputy Dempsey, seemed to give me the impression that this work was going to be done. I went to considerable trouble, in terms of communicating with the Department and other agencies, to find out if there was any truth in that or any likelihood of the work proceeding. There was not, but the Fianna Fáil candidates went around and said I was misleading the people. They said they knew the truth and that the Taoiseach had indicated that the work would go to tender. It did not go to tender.

The losers are the children of the area, who are being squeezed into completely inadequate and unsuitable facilities and teachers being forced to make do in improper conditions. I ask the Minister to state that they have broken their promises but that it will be included in 2004.

Mr. Fahey

I apologise for the absence of the Minister, Deputy Dempsey, but I am glad that the Deputy has given me the opportunity to outline to the House the Department of Education and Science's current position regarding the allocation of funding for school building projects.

The 2003 capital programme, which has now been published, is designed to give the maximum amount of information to managers, boards of management, parents, pupils and principals. The criteria used for selecting projects has also been published for the first time.

This year's building programme amounts to €342.9 million – four times the amount allocated in 1997. The 2003 programme will deliver over 140 large-scale projects at primary and post-primary level. In addition, over 400 schools will benefit in some way from the capital programme and all primary schools benefit directly from the devolved grants scheme for minor works. The budgetary allocation for 2004 and subsequent years will determine the rate of progress on projects at schools, such as St. Killian's junior and senior schools, currently in architectural planning.

The management authorities at individual schools should continue to use funds from their devolved grant to deal with any urgent health and safety matters. I wish to thank the Deputy again for giving me the opportunity on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science of outlining the current position to the House.

Mr. Rabbitte

Is there nothing at all in it? That is worse. It is appalling.