I appreciate the opportunity to raise this issue in the House and hope the Mini ster of State will openly consider it. Scoil Chaitríona is located in Coolock, caters for 300 pupils, and has disadvantaged status. Two pre-fabricated buildings are still in use. One dates from 1973 and the other dates from 1958, which is difficult to believe. People who were educated in these pre-fabs are sending their children to them 30 or 40 years later. These pre-fabs provide core teaching space. Some 51 children are in the double pre-fab every day. Resource teaching, life skills and many other activities take place there.
The frugality of the sisters and the teaching staff meant that they repainted the pre-fabs, replaced windows and tried to keep them up to standard. This extended the life of the pre-fabs, but I am sure the Minister of State realises that they will not last for 42 years. The Minister of State would have to see the pre-fabs to believe their condition, but I am sure he does not have the opportunity to visit them. The roof is sagging and the windows cannot be opened. Rain comes in in five places for which five buckets must be produced while desks and books must be moved. The children must be wrapped up in their overcoats on a cold day. If the wind is blowing from the wrong direction, they must move because the rain comes in at an angle. The curtains are dripping wet most of the time because of rain and condensation.
The school authorities have been campaigning about this for many years. Following particularly intense activity, the Department's architect called to the school and condemned the pre-fabs. However, what seems to have happened – I do not know if it is a misunderstanding in the Department – is that the replacement of the two pre-fabs has been wrapped up with an entirely separate project, namely, the provision of a resource room and library and improved fire and security measures in the school. These measures are needed, but they are not as pressing as the replacement of these two pre-fabs. I understand the Department refers to a section 12, which means replacing temporary buildings with temporary buildings. That is what should happen in this case. However, the Minister in a reply to a constituency colleague indicated that this is wrapped up with another project which he said is at an early stage of architectural development and is frozen, as of now, in the Department pecking order. We need to recognise that we are replacing a sub-standard prefab with a decent one. It does not need an architectural process. It is a matter of replacing one thing with something else. This has already been done with one of the prefabs and there are two remaining.
I appeal to the Minister to use his ministerial discretion, which is clearly there, to recognise that this is not a case that should be left languishing in Department files with lots of other applications for new developments. It should be recognised as an essential replacement of a building that is long past its sell-by date. If the Minister will ensure that this occurs it will be much welcomed by the teaching staff, the pupils and the parents who have been fighting for this for a long time.