Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 6 May 2004

Vol. 585 No. 1

Adjournment Debate.

Procurement Procedures.

Ms Burton

I have now had an opportunity to read in more detail the results of the review carried out by the consultants, PricewaterhouseCoopers, into procurement procedures used by the Office of Public Works in Dublin Castle. I am disappointed that the Minister involved, the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Parlon, is not present as I have questioned him previously on this issue.

The conclusions of the consultants are quite shocking as they find that EU tender procedures, OPW procedures and public procurement procedures have all been breached in a systematic way. This report raises serious questions for the Minister in charge, Deputy Parlon, who must accept the ultimate responsibility for what can only be described as serious lapses in the OPW operation in Dublin Castle.

This is not some trivial matter but a clear and systematic breach of the principles that should govern the State's approach to doing business with the private sector. What confidence can private firms, seeking to do business with the OPW or other State agencies, have that they too are not being victimised by the failure to implement proper procurement procedures?

It is also clear from the report that the last minute decision of the Government to increase substantially the number of EU Presidency events to be held in the country created pressures on the OPW and encouraged the cutting of corners and bypassing of normal procedures. The report states that the OPW was originally informed that there would be no more than seven informal ministerial council meetings in the first six months of this year. The clear desire of individual Ministers to secure a bit of the action led to this number increasing to an unbelievable 32, which clearly created great planning difficulties for the OPW.

However, none of this excuses the systematic ignoring of procedures designed to ensure that public contracts are offered on a fair and impartial basis and that taxpayers get the best possible value for their money. Neither does it excuse what seems to have been the absence of the Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, when all this was happening. Given the key role that the OPW was asked to play in the organisation of Irish Presidency events, I assume that the Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, would have been closely involved in the preparation and planning for these meetings. Why did he not satisfy himself that appropriate procedures were being applied in regard to the allocation of valuable contracts? Did he or any other member of the Government lobby for any contract to be awarded to any particular firm? If confidence in the OPW is now to be restored, it is essential that the recommendations made by the consultants for procurement procedures are implemented in full.

It is also essential that new procedures be introduced to provide greater transparency regarding the involvement by public servants in outside commercial activities. There must be a demarcation line drawn to ensure that not only is there no conflict between a public sector employee's role and any outside interest they may hold, there must be no basis on which anyone dealing with a public sector company could even fear that there was such a conflict. That statement is clearly made in this report in which PricewaterhouseCoopers says it can understand how contractors might have feared there was an inside track on Government contracts.

I have questioned the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Parlon, on at least four occasions on this matter. I have tabled a parliamentary question to the Minister for Finance on the issue today. I regret the report was issued last evening before there was the opportunity to debate it in the House.

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science (Miss de Valera)

In the absence of my colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Parlon, I welcome the opportunity to respond to the issue raised by Deputy Burton and to outline to the House the facts on this matter.

The Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, wishes to state categorically that in issuing the report to which the Deputy refers to the newspaper in question, in advance of replying to parliamentary questions today on the subject, he has not shown any discourtesy or disrespect to Deputy Burton or to this House. In the interest of giving a speedy and open public response following receipt of the report, the Minister of State made copies available yesterday to the media and to Deputy Burton and other Members. The Minister of State is satisfied he has acted appropriately, reasonably and in an open and fair way in the manner in which he has handled the release of the report.

It is important that the background and circumstances giving rise to the commissioning of the report to which the Deputy refers are clearly understood. The issues that are the subject matter of the report were first reported on in a national newspaper in December 2003. It was only subsequent to this reporting in the newspaper and when the issues were already in the public domain that the matter was raised in the House by Deputy Burton. In light of his attention being drawn to the matters in question through the newspaper articles, the Minister of State initiated an independent investigation of the matter. The examination was already under way when the matter was raised through parliamentary questions tabled by Deputy Burton and answered by the Minister of State on 17 February 2004.

As regards the facts of the release of the report the following is the position. The report was received by the Minister of State on Tuesday, 4 May 2004. On Wednesday, 5 May, copies of the report were made available to Deputy Burton and to certain other Deputies in and around the same time as a copy was made available to the newspaper in question. Copies of the report were hand delivered to Leinster House marked "Urgent" at 6.15 p.m. on Wednesday, 5 May.

The Minister of State does not accept there was in intent or in fact any discourtesy or impropriety on his part in issuing the report in question to a national newspaper in advance of parliamentary discussion on the matter today. He made it clear all along that he would deal with the matter in an open and transparent way as a matter of public interest and he believes he has done this in the way in which the report was released yesterday. The matter was already in the public domain and the Minister of State is satisfied he has acted openly, fairly and in the public interest in releasing the report in the way he has done.

School Closures.

Mr. Broughan

A few weeks ago the parents of Foxfield St. John's parish and St. Benedict's parish, Kilbarrack, Dublin 5, were "devastated and distraught" in the words of one of the sixth year pupils at the sudden announcement of the closure of Greendale community school by the trustees, the Holy Faith Order, the Jesuit Order and the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee. The closure announcement took place without consultation with the local community, Kilbarrack and District Residents Association, the Northside Partnership, Foxfield St. John's parish, St. Benedict's parish, west or east Kilbarrack, the parents of the 200 plus students or staff.

A few years ago we tried to establish a regional educational council to look at numbers and needs of educational provision in the various districts around Ireland. Unfortunately when the then Minister for Education and Science, Niamh Bhreathnach, and our party went out of Government that proposal was abandoned. There was a clear need for some kind of regional educational planning structure.

Greendale community college has been a wonderful community resource for the two Kilbarrack parishes and surrounding districts of Raheny, Kilbarrack and mid-Sutton. The school was founded in 1975 and with a peak enrolment of 950 students in the early 1980s made a powerful contribution towards the education of generations of children from the Kilbarrack area.

When I meet many of my constituents in the public and private sector it is striking how many of them are proud of the wonderful education they received from the principal Antóin Carroll. The staff of Greendale community college created a strong learning atmosphere and included such famous people as the great Dublin writer, Roddy Doyle, the playwright, Paul Mercier, and one of the immortal members of Dublin GAA teams, the great Brian Mullins. That staff, lead by an tUasal Antóin Carroll, made a very significant contribution to a low-income area and one that was educationally deprived up to the mid-1970s.

With the maturing of this area, second-level numbers in the college had fallen to the current 220 students with a staff of 34 teachers. As pointed out on the day of the announcement, over 1,000 adult students use the Greendale campus. Over the years, the school had an important link to Trinity College, Dublin, for adults going on to second chance and university education. This is the second body blow my constituency has received in recent months.

A couple of months earlier we heard of the proposed closure by the Oblate Order of the famous Belcamp College in north Coolock from where the great Henry Grattan came, and which for over 100 years had turned out generations of distinguished Dublin men, and provided an important resource for areas which had been educationally deprived. It also has a large and happily settled Traveller community whose education was of particular interest to Belcamp College.

Throughout its 30 year history, Greendale community school has been a readily available and pleasant facility for all community groups, sports clubs, Naomh Barróg GAA Club, Kilbarrack United, Kilbarrack and District Residents Association and all the other residents associations, sports bodies and communities of Kilbarrack and district. It is regrettable there was no consultation with any of those bodies, committees, myself or any of the other public representatives, one of whom is the former Minister for Education and Science, my colleague, Deputy Woods. I call on the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Noel Dempsey, to re-examine all the reports on Greendale community school. I call on the VEC and the two religious orders concerned to review this decision urgently to ensure we do not lose a key community resource for the parish of Kilbarrack and have it replaced, as the district fears, with a high-rise monstrosity which would be to the advantage of developers and not the people of the area.

Miss de Valera

I thank the Deputy for providing me with the opportunity to outline the current position with regard to the planned closure of Greendale community school, Kilbarrack, Dublin 5. Greendale community school was built in 1975 to accommodate 800 pupils. The school expanded quickly to exceed its capacity. An extension was provided in the early 1980s to cater for an extra 100 pupils, bringing the overall capacity to 900 pupil places.

In line with demographic changes in the area, the school has experienced a steady decline in enrolments in recent years. Since 1996-97, enrolment has declined by 50%. At that time the enrolment was 449 pupils. The current enrolment is 215 pupils. Enrolments at primary level in the area indicate that this decline will continue. The school made an application to my Department for major capital funding in 1999. My Department commissioned a feasibility study, which estimated that an investment of €2.4 million was required to carry out the works necessary at the school.

The decline in enrolments in the general area has resulted in an estimated spare capacity of some 2,300 places in post-primary schools. In the circumstances, my Department did not consider that the level of capital investment sought by the school was a viable option. Grant aid was provided, however, to ensure that immediate health and safety issues at the school were addressed. Subsequently, my Department held meetings with the school's trustees to discuss options for its future, given that there did not appear to be adequate pupil numbers in the locality to enable it to regenerate.

The trustees of Greendale Community School notified the school planning section on 31 March 2004 that a decision had been taken to close the school. The timing of the closure has yet to be determined. Given the pattern of falling enrolments at the school, together with surplus capacity in the general area, my Department has no objection to the school's closure.

My Department's main role in a school closure is to ensure that the best interests of the pupils are looked after in the period up to the closure and that alternative provision is available to accommodate the pupils who would have ordinarily attended Greendale Community School. My Department is awaiting proposals from the trustees with regard to the timing of the closure of the school. The future use of the building will be determined in due course.

Physical Education Facilities.

Mr. Sargent

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Cheann Comhairle as cead a thabhairt dom an t-ábhar seo a ardú ar an Athló. Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit ag an Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta a bhfuil eolas aici ar Bhaile Brigín agus ar Scoil Loreto. I ask that this matter be given priority following the visit of the Minister for Education and Science to Loreto Secondary School in Balbriggan. I ask for an indication of the action to be taken by the Department in addressing the inadequate facilities for physical education and sport at this fast-growing school which has 1,027 students. This year is the European year for education through sport. The Olympic Games will be held in Athens this year and there will be increased interest in sport. It will become a mainstream political issue which I ask the Minister to consider.

The school offers hockey, basketball, soccer, badminton and it fields GAA teams. It does not have the facilities for bad weather training nor to offer refreshments or sufficient changing facilities to visiting teams. This is a serious deprivation of basic education in this school.

The building in use as a sports hall was built in 1909. It is approximately the size of a small badminton court and is in bad condition. A student informed me a few minutes ago that a lump of plaster recently fell off the wall during a basketball session. The floor is cracked and slanted and is slippery in wet weather. It is a liability. I am concerned that the Department is facing a serious liability by not remedying and providing new facilities for this school. The hall has room for only 30 pupils at a time. When two classes are timetabled for physical education, one class is forced to sit out the class. Sixth years do not have any physical education. It is a case of bad facilities, which need to be urgently remedied. Ventilation is inadequate and dry rot is present. There are only two cubicles for lavatory facilities. It is a serious situation.

I understand plans have been drawn up but the issue is how soon they will be realised. The school is aware of new classroom facilities being planned. While this is welcome, it does not meet the needs of physical education facilities. The Department should recognise that this facility will be available for use by all the community. Balbriggan football club enjoys the outdoor all-weather facilities.

The matter requires urgent attention. The school services not just Balbriggan but areas of County Meath such as Laytown and Bettystown, as well as areas of County Dublin such as Donabate, Portrane and Lusk, which do not have secondary schools. The school serves a large hinterland with which the Minister of State is well acquainted.

The ratio of 515 students to one physical education teacher is bad. Will the Minister of State ensure that the facilities for physical education in this all-girls' school are as good as those in all-male schools? The impression is given that physical education for girls is a lower priority for the Department of Education and Science than that for male students. That would be a sad impression to give but it appears to be true from the evidence of this school.

The school has planned seven first year classes for next year and 60 children are on a waiting list. The Minister of State's grandmother was from Balbriggan. I hope she will recognise the interests of the pupils and, in remembrance of her grandmother, give this matter the priority it needs.

Miss de Valera

I am aware of Deputy Sargent's great interest in his area and its history and also in certain members of my family, especially my grandmother, and I thank him for that interest. I apologise on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, who is unable to be present. He has asked me to stand in for him on the Adjournment. On his behalf, I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it provides me with an opportunity to outline to the House the steps, which are being taken by my Department to tackle the accommodation issues at the Loreto Secondary School in Balbriggan.

The Loreto Secondary School, Balbriggan, is an all-girls' secondary school located in a rapidly developing area. It has a current enrolment of 1,027 pupils. In recent years my Department has provided major funding in the amount of €1.275 million for significant extension and refurbishment works at the school. Plans for a further multi-million euro capital investment in the school are well under way. This investment will commence this year.

It has been previously determined and agreed with the school management authority that the school has a deficit of accommodation of about 4,200 sq. m. which includes a PE hall provision. My Department plans to address this deficit in two phases. Phase 1 will be implemented this year with the delivery of about 570 sq. m. of predominantly specialist accommodation. Phase 2 will deliver the remaining accommodation of about 3,650 sq. m., including the PE hall.

A key strategy for the delivery of school infrastructure will be grounded on the announcement in the budget of multi-annual allocations for capital investment in education projects. All projects not proceeding to construction as part of the 2004 school building programme will be re-evaluated with a view to including them as part of a multi-annual building programme from 2005 onwards. This will include phase 2 of the project at Loreto Secondary School.

As a first step in this process, my Department is in consultation with the education partners regarding the prioritisation criteria used for large-scale building projects. The purpose of these consultations is to ensure that the criteria have optimum precision and are fully tuned to meeting the priority accommodation needs of the primary and post-primary sectors. When the consultations have been completed the review of all large-scale projects, to which I have referred, will be undertaken to map out the first ever multi-annual schools building programme. This approach will give schools greater clarity in terms of when they can expect their building projects to be delivered. The Minister for Education and Science expects to be in a position to make a further announcement on this matter later this year.

I assure the Deputy that the Minister is aware of the rapidly developing nature of the Balbriggan area and that delivering accommodation in rapidly developing areas is a key priority of the school planning and building unit of the Department. I am confident that the steps being taken by my Department regarding Loreto secondary school demonstrate its commitment to tackling accommodation issues in these areas. I am also confident that the strategy being implemented as regards Loreto secondary school will address all its accommodation needs, including its physical education facilities, well into the future. My Department will continue to monitor the situation.

Schools Building Projects.

Mr. McGinley

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle, as deis a thabhairt dom an cheist thábhachtach seo a thógáil ar Athló na Dála.

I ndiaidh 25 bliain ó tógadh Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair tá sé scannalach nach bhfuil halla spóirt curtha ar fáil do na daltaí go fóill. Tá an scoil suite i gceartlár na Gaeltachta agus déantar gach ábhar tré Ghaeilge inti ach i ndiaidh 25 bliain níl áiseanna spóirt curtha ar fáil. Tá an scoil ag fás agus ag dul i méid, bliain i ndiaidh bliana.

Tá mé féin mar chathaoirleach ar bord bainistíochta na scoile. I mbliana féin, tá 330 dalta ag freasal ar an scoil. Tá ard-chaighdeán bainte amach ag an scoil, ní hamháin i gcúrsaí acadúla ach i gcúrsaí spóirt chomh maith. Is iomaí craobh na hÉireann atá bainte aici, ní hamháin i gcúrsaí cultúrtha ach i bpeil Ghaelach, i sacar agus i gcluichí eile. Tá sé sin go léir déanta agus níl aon halla spóirt curtha ar fáil don scoil.

I 1987, gealladh halla spóirt ach tháinig ciorruithe airgid sa bhliain sin agus thit an tionscnamh as a chéile. Tá ceithre bliain ó shin dúradh leis an scoil arís go mb'fhéidir go bhfaigheadh an scoil halla spóirt. Chuaigh an scéim go dtí céim a haon agus céim a dó ach tá an scéal mar sin le dhá bhliain agus níor tharla aon rud ó shin. Tá sé seo ag cur deacrachtaí móra i gcasán fhorbairt na scoile. Má tá cluichí le himirt nó aon rud mar sin, caithfidh na daltaí dul go dtí ionad Chumann Lúthchleas Gael nó go dtí ionad poball Chnoc Fola. Cosnaíonn sé sin airgead mór do na daltaí agus don bhord bainistíochta agus níl sé fóirsteanach nó oriúnach.

Níl aon pobalscoil nó scoil chuimsitheach i nDún na nGall nach bhfuil halla spóirt curtha ar fáil di. Sa Dáil inniu pléadh an Bille um Chomhionannas. Bhíomar ag caint ar chomhionannas agus aontaím leis sin. Ach, cá bhfuil an comhionannas nuair atá daltaí Phobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair gan an áis seo curtha ar fáil dóibh.

Táimid tuirseach ag éisteacht le geallúintí, le cur ó dhoras agus le hAirí agus le hAirí Stáit ag tarraingt na gcos. Tá lúcháir orm go bhfuil an tAire Stáit, an Teachta de Valera, sa Teach inniu mar bhi cónascadh idir Ardscoil Mhuire, a d'oscail athair mór an Aire Stáit, Éamon de Valera, nuair a bhí sé ina Thaoiseach. Tá súil agam go ndéanfaidh an tAire Stáit machnamh ar seo.

Gweedore community school, which has 330 pupils, was built 25 years ago. It has an excellent record and has achieved recognition and glory many times on the football field and in various other games. After 25 years it is scandalous that it is the only one of the community and comprehensive schools in County Donegal without a sports hall.

A sports hall was promised in 1987 but the school fell victim to cutbacks in the 1980s. The issue was resurrected four years ago and the proposal proceeded to stage 1 and eventually, in February 2002, to stage 2. Since then, however, nothing has happened apart from regular letters being issued by the Department seeking clarification on various matters. These letters are not even written by the same members of staff, who appear to change weekly.

We have had much waffle and many promises. The school now needs a guarantee that the project will at least progress to stage 3 to ensure that once the cutbacks end, Gweedore community school will receive a sports hall like every other school of its size in County Donegal and probably most other parts of the country. We are no longer willing to accept the current position, which is most unfair. The teachers and staff of the school are doing excellent work and students achieve excellent academic and sporting results. In north-west Donegal, where the climate is not like the sunny south-east, winters are difficult.

I spent half an hour earlier preparing to speak on the Equality Bill. I and my party support equality but there is no sign of it with regard to Gweedore community school, which is 25 years old and still does not have a sports hall. The children of the Gaeltacht are not being treated equally. Every subject is taught through the medium of Irish in Gweedore community school. I remember, as a young boy, a visit by the Minister of State's grandfather to Gweedore to open the school's predecessor, Ardscoil Mhuire in Machaire Chlochair, which served our community very well but we had to move with the times. Corp oideachais, physical education, is becoming part and parcel of the curriculum yet the school does not have basic facilities.

This is not the first time the Ceann Comhairle has generously granted me time to raise this matter on the Adjournment. My appeal is from the heart and from the young people of Gweedore community school who have proved themselves academically and on the sporting field. This is the Minister of State's opportunity to give me something with which to return this evening. I do not expect her to announce that a sports hall will be built immediately but I will be more than happy if the project proceeds to the next stage of development today. The matter is in her hands and I hope she will use her offices on behalf of the people of Gweedore in remembrance of her grandfather's visit to the town many years ago.

Miss de Valera

I apologise again for the absence of the Minister who is unable to attend the debate. I accept that Deputy McGinley's views are sincerely held and I am sure his impassioned plea will not go unnoticed either in the Department or in County Donegal. I thank him for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House my Department's proposals regarding the provision of a sports hall for Gweedore community school.

My Department has accepted that there is a need to provide a sports hall for students of Gweedore community school. A full design team has been appointed and architectural design of the project has commenced. A sports hall for the school is listed in section 9 of the Department's 2004 school building programme. This project is at stage 2 of architectural planning, developed sketch received. It has been assigned a band 4 rating by my Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large-scale projects.

The 2004 school building programme at primary and post-primary level amounts to €387 million. The programme will deliver more than 200 large-scale projects. However, it was not possible to include all necessary projects in one year's programme. The proposed project at Gweedore community school is one of a number which has to be considered in the context of future capital allocation for school building.

When publishing the 2004 school building programme, my Department outlined that its strategy will be grounded in capital investment based on multi-annual allocations. Officials from the Department are reviewing all projects which were not authorised to proceed to construction as part of the 2004 school building programme, with a view to including them as part of a multi-annual school building programme from 2005, and they expect to be in a position to make further announcements on this matter in the course of the year. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter.

The Dáil adjourned at 5.10 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 11 May 2004.