Vol. 565 No. 2
10 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Education and Science if he proposes to sanction the building of prefabs at Griffeen Valley Educate Together in view of the fact that parents and teachers are being pushed to the wire on the number of classes for September 2003. [10239/03]
272 Mr. Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Science if some form of building will be permitted at the site owned by a company (details supplied) at Griffeen Avenue, to facilitate Griffeen Valley Educate Together School, in view of his previous statement that his Department will be seeking a value for money solution because of current budgetary constraints. [10560/03]
273 Mr. Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department will consider two to three prefabs for Griffeen Valley Educate Together to be a value for money solution for the 2003-04 school year in view of the huge demand that exists in the Lucan area. [10561/03]
276 Mr. Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Science if a rental valuation has been carried out by the Office of Public Works on the site proposed by Griffeen Valley Educate Together School; and if not, when this will occur, in view of the urgency for the school to have a final decision made. [10565/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 272, 273 and 276 together.
I am fully conscious of the issues raised by the Deputy in this case. The background to the matter is that Griffeen Valley Educate Together national school opened in September 2002 with provisional recognition from my Department. The school is currently housed in rented accommodation in the scout den in Lucan village.
During the period of provisional recognition, it is the responsibility of the school patron to provide interim accommodation. This accommodation must be capable of meeting the needs of the developing school until permanent recognition has been secured and my Department is in a position to acquire a site and provide a permanent school building. Interim accommodation must comply at all times with planning, fire and health and safety and building regulations.
In view of the restricted capacity of the scout den, the promoters were advised to develop and implement an enrolment policy in line with the capacity of the available accommodation. This approach was essential to ensure that there was no overcrowding that might create a health and safety problem for pupils and school staff.
In response to its impending accommodation difficulties, the board of management of the school has made a proposal to my Department to lease the site which has been reserved in the Griffeen Valley area for primary education purposes from the owners and to house the school in temporary accommodation on the site. This proposal is currently under consideration in my Department and as part of the process, the property management section of the Office of Public Works was asked to carry out a rental valuation on the site. The Office of Public Works has supplied an initial report outlining the terms the vendor would require in order to grant access to the site. These terms require further consultation and negotiation between the vendor and the Office of Public Works. A decision will be conveyed to the school management authorities as soon as possible.
I presume the Minister is aware Lucan is the fastest growing town in Ireland with a huge need for school accommodation. My information from the Office of Public Works is that it would cost €200,000 over two years and a further €300,000 to prepare the site. Castlethorn has indicated it needs a three-year commitment on the site. Does the Minister agree that Griffeen Valley Educate Together and other such organisations are caught in a catch-22 position in that not having a traditional church, it needs to find temporary accommodation first and that this land on Griffeen Avenue is the only viable temporary accommodation the school can find? When will a final decision be made?
The school has given a provisional indication of 40 pupils, which although modest, will require more than one classroom. It needs to give a commitment and in many cases parents have nowhere else to send their children and would be facing major hardship unless clarity is given. Can the Minister acknowledge that the long-term demographics of the Lucan area mean that such a school will be operational at some stage and any jump-start it can get using any thinking outside the box would be warmly welcomed?
I confirm that I am aware of the difficulties in the Lucan area and that it is one of the fastest growing areas in the country. I have a few areas in my constituency that are fairly fast growing also.
There are some in Kildare as well.
There is a particular problem with the ring around the greater Dublin area. I accept what the Deputy says about the shortage of places in that area even with the existing schools. I believe some places are available but accept that this is also needed. The Deputy will appreciate why I cannot go into any of the price or rental details which are subject to negotiation at the moment. I assure the Deputy that we will clarify some of the issues that have arisen with the offer as soon as we possibly can. We will try to facilitate the school as quickly as possible.
