Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 5 Apr 2011

Vol. 729 No. 2

Adjournment Debate

School Transport

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for facilitating this debate on school transport and small schools in general.

I acknowledge and fully appreciate the difficulties regarding this issue and the present proposals for changes to school transport schemes have been inherited by the present Government.

The problem with the proposals is that the new charges will place a further burden on young families that are already under severe financial pressure to make ends meet and keep a roof over their heads. The removal of eligibility under the closed school rule will have an especially devastating effect on rural areas, particularly the increase from the current minimum of seven to ten children for the establishment or retention of services.

In Tuosist there is an excellent national school run by an excellent principal and staffed by excellent teachers who provide a solid education in this rural area. There are 73 pupils at the school, with 43 from outside the catchment area, seven from inside the eligible area, while the others live inside the 3.2 kilometre radius, making them ineligible for free transport. Their parents must pay €200 per pupil for the concessionary ticket.

In the townland of Dromuchty in the parish of Tuosist, I met a young family with young children, some of whom now go to the national school in Tuosist. If these changes are made, the younger children must go to the national school in Kenmare, because it is nearer. We have nothing against the school in Kenmare but there has always been a cherished tradition that when a small child went to school, an older sibling would be there to take him by the hand and mind him if he was afraid. That bit of comfort existed not just for the first few days, but for the first few months. Problems further down the line could be helped by having an older sibling in the school. This, however, will split families down the middle, with some going one way and some the other. Then, parents will be trying to drive children to school while working hard to pay for the increased charges they face. They are being asked to drive some children one way, some the other while they are supposed to drive to work to pay for the charges they must now face. This situation will be replicated across the country, with thousands of families affected.

Another problem is the short timeframe. Many schools only received notification on 20 March that they had an opportunity to apply for new passengers, on behalf of new infants, and the deadline was 31 March. Many of these schools will not have children enrolling until just before the summer holidays in May or June.

Will the Minister of State reconsider the proposed charging for a service that was free until now and which provided an excellent service to the rural school-going population? More important, will he increase the current minimum of eligible children for the retention of services? In light of an ongoing Government review of small primary schools, which also worries me, I contend that the school transport service gives value for money and is the last remaining lifeline for hundreds of rural communities and schools.

The success of the rural transport initiative, where value for money is of paramount importance, is a model I recommend the Minister of State considers when making decisions on school transport. In these difficult times we must have value for money, but how do we place a monetary value on a vibrant community? In many rural areas, the school is the only remaining focal point; the creameries, pubs, shops and post offices are gone. Please do not take away our rural schools as well. We have lost enough and do not want to lose any more.

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills (Deputy Ciarán Cannon)

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter today. Before I address the issue of the changes to the primary school transport scheme, I will give the House an outline of the extent of the school transport service.

School transport is a very significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on the Department's behalf that covers over 82 million km annually. In the region of 123,000 children, including more than 8,000 children with special needs, are transported in approximately 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. Children eligible for transport may use scheduled public transport services, including the DART and Luas.

A number of changes to the school transport scheme were introduced in the last budget of the previous Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government. The changes to the primary school transport scheme derive from recommendations in the recently published value for money report of the scheme and relate to the introduction of charges, changes to the "closed school rule", changes to the minimum numbers required to establish or maintain a service and new arrangements to be put in place with Bus Éireann on a phased basis for the operation of the scheme. The changes to the closed school rule and the minimum numbers required to establish or maintain a service will have an impact on the overall provision of school transport.

The closed school rule for school transport eligibility purposes was introduced in the 1960s in circumstances where a primary school was closed and amalgamated with another. Under this rule pupils residing in the closed school area are eligible for transport to the school of amalgamation, even though they may be residing less than 3.2 km from that school.

There is also what is termed a central school rule, resulting from the amalgamation of a greater number of schools. In these instances, transport is provided for children residing not less than 1 mile or 1.6 km from the new central school. No time limit has been applied to the closed school central school rule. In some cases, the primary school in question was closed up to 40 years ago and amalgamated with another school. In some instances, a newer school has been built subsequently in the general area of the original closed school. However, under the primary school transport scheme the transport provided is to the amalgamated school only, even in circumstances where there is a newer school closer to the pupil's home. A pupil in these circumstances is not eligible for free transport to the newer school.

With regard to forward planning policy to meet pupil places annually, the Department of Education and Skills assesses school accommodation needs in each area based on local demographic trends, current and projected enrolments, recent and planned housing developments and the capacity of existing schools to meet demand for places. The closed school rule can operate to distort parental decisions and result in pupils travelling longer distances than necessary, were they to go to the nearest school. Put another way, the closed school rule operates to deny school transport eligibility to children travelling to their nearest school and meeting the requisite distance criterion.

The specific changes announced in respect of the closed school rule are as follows. From the commencement of the 2011 school year, the distance criteria will be applied to all pupils attending primary schools and the exemption under the closed school rule will cease. This means children who reside less than 3.2 km from the school of attendance and who are currently availing of free transport to that school under the closed school rule will no longer be eligible for school transport. From the 2012 school year, eligibility based on the closed school rule and the central school rule will cease for all new children entering primary schools. However, I emphasise that existing primary pupils availing of transport under the closed school rule will retain transport eligibility for the duration of their schooling, provided the requisite distance is met. Moreover, given that the change in question will not come into being until September 2012, all new pupils enrolling this September will be eligible under the closed school rule.

The practical consequence of these changes are as follows. The principle of using the distance criteria as the key eligibility criterion, having regard to language and ethos, will be applied equitably nationally. Transitional arrangements for a period of seven years will be provided to cater for the eligible primary cohort attending the amalgamated school to allow them to complete their schooling at the school. In the case of all future primary school amalgamations, eligibility will be based on the distance criteria applying at that time and attendance at the nearest school. From 2012 onwards pupils residing in a closed school area, for whom the amalgamated school is not their nearest but who enrol in their nearest school, will be eligible for school transport provided the requisite distance of 3.2 km is met.

Schools Building Projects

Deputy James Bannon

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for affording me time to discuss this important matter. Also, I welcome the new Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills and I wish him the best of luck in his new portfolio. This matter concerns the need for the Minister to provide essential funding for a new school building for Curraghmore national school, Mullingar, County Westmeath, which currently has seven out of eight classes accommodated in prefabs at an annual cost of €84,800 and at a total cost of €450,000 for the past ten years. Some of these temporary structures were second-hand when installed ten years ago and they have deteriorated considerably in the intervening years.

The wastage by the previous Government has played a large part in the predicament in which many schools have found themselves. One of the major scandals associated with the Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government was that so much money was wasted on white elephants while schools were neglected. Schools which should of necessity have been provided with the construction of new buildings many years ago have had to struggle on in sub-standard temporary accommodation, which has cost taxpayers millions of euro.

Curraghmore national school has been informed of a rapid school development list which can enable schools to be built in 35 weeks. While I am not fully aware of the provision, Curraghmore would be a contender for a top ranking on such a list. Despite being informed by the Department ten years ago that an eight classroom school was required and should be built for Curraghmore, nothing has materialised in the intervening time.

Curraghmore is an eight teacher school of 210 pupils with seven classes in prefabs for the past ten years. Costs for this temporary accommodation have already amounted to €500,000. With pupils receiving all of their primary education in such accommodation, which is seriously outmoded, there are serious associated health and safety risks. Poor ventilation can cause asthma, leaks and decay of the prefabs are a serious concern, flooding, rot, broken gutters, leaking pipes and traffic congestion impact adversely on education and well being. Physical development is at risk with lack of exercise facilities potentially leading to obesity. There is no green area for play. Outside breaks and physical education take place on a tarmacadam surface. Since the school has no general purpose room or gymnasium, exercise is weather dependent. The school has no money for the provision of buses to local sports facilities. Cold winters have led to pipes freezing. In turn, this has lead to a lack of water, heat, toilet facilities and, ultimately, school closures.

The Department of Education and Skills has identified a need for extra primary school classes in the Mullingar area and has made it clear that funding will be provided for a new school only if extra class spaces are provided. All other schools in the area are operating to full capacity. If it were provided with the necessary facilities, Curraghmore could relieve some of this pressure on places.

A four acre site is required for the new school as near as possible to the current location. Westmeath County Council has agreed to begin the compulsory purchase order process on zoned land on the Ardmore Road, Mullingar. The local bishop has given a commitment in writing to the Department of Education and Skills that the parish will purchase the land. While I am aware that the Minister has inherited a flawed system with limited resources, I impress on him the urgent need for a permanent built environment for this school, which has waited for ten years for a commitment to a new school building to be met. I hope to hear good news from the Minister of State this evening.

Deputy Ciarán Cannon

I am replying to this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn. I thank Deputy Bannon for raising the matter since it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the House the Government's strategy for capital investment in school building projects and to outline the current position on the building project to provide for a new school building to replace the existing Curraghmore national school in Mullingar, County Westmeath.

In its programme for Government, the Government is committed to drawing up a new national development plan that reflects Ireland's changed economic circumstances, covering the seven-year period from 2012 to 2019. The plan will be based on a comprehensive study of Ireland's public investment priorities in that period. In the initial years, when resources will be most heavily constrained, the programme for Government commits to prioritising investment in several specific areas, including school buildings. The Government will insist that major capital projects are subjected to proper cost-benefit analysis and evaluation, improving future productivity and growth prospects, and that the value for money obtained is significantly enhanced compared to the most recent period. Modernising facilities in our existing building stock as well as responding to the emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth will continue to be a significant challenge.

All applications for capital funding are assessed in the planning and building unit of the Department. The assessment process determines the extent and type of need presenting based on the demographics of an area, proposed housing developments, condition of buildings, site capacity and so forth, leading to an appropriate accommodation solution. As part of this process, a project is assigned a band rating under published prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects. These criteria were devised following consultation with the education partners.

Projects are selected for inclusion in the schools building and modernisation programme on the basis of priority of need which is reflected in the band rating assigned to a project. In other words, a proposed building project moves through the system commensurate with the band rating assigned to it. There are four band ratings overall, of which band one is the highest and band four the lowest. Band one projects, for example, include the provision of buildings where none currently exists but there is a high demand for pupil places, while a band four project makes provision for desirable but not necessarily urgent or essential facilities such as a library or new sports hall.

A project to provide new accommodation for Curraghmore national school has been assigned a band two rating under the published prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects. The provision, however, of a new building for the school necessitates the acquisition of a site. In this regard, the Department is in ongoing discussion with the local authority with a view to acquiring a suitable site for the proposed new school building. However, due to the commercial sensitivities pertaining to site acquisitions generally, it is not possible for me to comment further at this time.

When a site is available, consideration can be given to the inclusion of a building project for the school in the Department's multi-annual schools building and modernisation programme. However, in light of competing demands on the capital budget of the Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of this project at this time.

I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House the current position regarding the school building project for Curraghmore national school.

Inland Waterways

Deputy Seán Kyne

Is é seo an chéad seans dom labhairt san áit seo agus ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis na daoine ó dháilcheantar Ghaillimh Thiar maidir leis an tacaíocht a fuair mé san olltoghchán. Gabhaim buíochas leis an iar-Theachta Dála Fhine Gael don dáilcheantar, Padraic McCormack, tar éis 21 bliain go leith ag obair ar son mhuintir iarthar na Gaillimhe. Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil sé fíor-bhródúil go bhfuil beirt Teachta Dála nua as Fine Gael sa dáilcheantar anois.

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for facilitating the raising of this issue on the Adjournment. As a fellow County Galway man, I congratulate him on his election as Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

Lough Corrib is the second largest lake on this island and the largest within the State. It is predominantly within the Connemara electoral area which elected me to Galway County Council on two occasions. It is a prized asset within my county and within this country. The Galway county development plan in respect of Lough Corrib notes:

It is possibly the single most significant natural asset in the County. Its waters serve as a domestic supply for half the population of the County. It is one of the most important wild fisheries in Europe, making it a prime tourist asset and an important habitat. As the second largest inland waterbody on the island with free and frequent access to its largely unspoilt shoreline it is a vast leisure area for locals and visitors.

Lough Corrib, however, has faced and is facing huge problems and challenges. The threats of pollution from sewerage schemes, septic tanks, nitrate and phosphate enrichment are real, although improvements have been made to address these threats during the past number of years. Zebra mussel has also made an unwelcome appearance. Another very serious issue is the rapid encroachment of African pond weed or Lagarosiphon major. The origin of this invasion was likely to have come from a domestic water pond where these plants are part of ornamental gardens. Whatever the origin, the consequences are very serious. The weed has spread across many of the Lough Corrib's bays since first identified in 2005. Its spread has had a number of consequences for navigation, fishing and water quality. The weed poses a threat to navigation channels because it can get entangled in equipment on boats, etc., and it poses a threat to the supply of clean drinking water. All of Galway city receives its drinking water from Lough Corrib. The weed also increases the threat of flooding.

The Central Fisheries Board launched a campaign after the identification of this weed as a problem and over the years made presentations to Lough Corrib Navigation Trustees and Galway County Council, both bodies of which I was a member, and to Galway City Council. Funding was provided initially by the State. A boat to allow for the weed cutting was purchased in 2008 by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Galway County Council then came on board with funding and last year a commitment was also made by Galway City Council in its 2011 budget. Today, Inland Fisheries Ireland has commitments from Galway County Council and the city council in their 2011 budgets for the control of this weed as well as commitments from the Office of Public Works and the Heritage Council. This commitment to funding is recognition of the seriousness of the situation on Lough Corrib.

An innovative method of dealing with this weed has involved competent individuals diving to the bottom of the lake, cutting the weed, bringing it to the lake surface, hauling the weed onto a boat and bringing it ashore for disposal. A mat is then placed over the lake bed from where the weed has been removed to prevent regrowth of the weed, but it allows the natural flora of the lake to regrow. This is very technical and labour intensive work. Three local individuals with expertise and, as locals, a love for the lake saw their contracts end on 31 December.

I note previous responses from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government or the Department with responsibility for natural resources that the reason behind the refusal to allow Inland Fisheries Ireland issue new contracts is the public service recruitment ban. I understand our commitment to the IMF-EU deal and the need to impose restrictions on public sector and State body worker numbers to satisfy this deal. In this instance, however, I am not seeking additional moneys for new staff to be employed but moneys budgeted by Galway's local authorities, the Office of Public Works and the Heritage Council to be spent and to allow local individuals with the expertise to continue the vital job they have being doing for the sake of Lough Corrib.

I understand the Minister's Department is tied by the Department of Finance's insistence on the moratorium, but I ask the Minister of State if the Department accepts the necessity for this work to be completed and if he can persuade the Department of Finance to allow contracts be issued where the moneys are already sanctioned by the bodies listed. Three young men are receiving social welfare assistance when instead they could be working, being paid by moneys already sanctioned by the listed authorities and bodies and doing a vital job cutting and removing African pond weed from Lough Corrib. This whole story reeks of red tape and bureaucracy and makes no sense. I appeal to the Minister of State to liaise with the Minister for Finance to allow Inland Fisheries Ireland issue new contracts in order that these staff can continue with these necessary works.

Deputy Ciarán Cannon

I am replying to this matter on behalf of the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Pat Rabbitte. I thank Deputy Kyne for raising this very important issue and congratulate him, his family and community on his election to Dáil Éireann.

I am advised that the biggest threat to biodiversity in Ireland, after habitat destruction, is that of invasive alien species. Indeed the negative impact of invasive aquatic species such as Lagarosiphon major is widely acknowledged. Lough Corrib, the second largest lake in Ireland and a vital amenity for the west, is currently under threat from a number of invasive species, in particular Lagarosiphon major.

It is not known how the weed arrived in Lough Corrib, but similar plants can be purchased for use in ornamental garden ponds. My colleague, the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, has responsibility, through the National Parks and Wildlife Service, for the enactment of legislation in this area under the Wildlife Acts 1976 to 2000 and is currently considering proposals that will further regulate the restriction of invasive plant species.

Funding was secured by Inland Fisheries Ireland under the EU Life plus programme for a project on the control of aquatic invasive species and the restoration of natural communities in Ireland, known as CAISIE. Control and eradication of the weed can be achieved through projects like this which adopt a co-ordinated approach in highlighting the destruction to habitats caused by invasive species. Indeed, the National Parks and Wildlife Service is co-financier of this project.

The Deputy is aware that the economic position of the country is profoundly changed, even since the initiation of that project, with implications and challenges for the public sector generally and Inland Fisheries Ireland's business specifically. The board and management of Inland Fisheries Ireland are assessing the implications of these challenges for the organisation and its business plan.

In the context of the National Recovery Plan, 2011 to 2014, and under the terms of the joint EU-IMF programme for Ireland, Departments and State agencies have to deal with reduced budgets and the prospect of further reductions into the foreseeable future. This has clear implications for the level of employment that can be sustained across all areas of the public sector.

Inland Fisheries Ireland was established last year and the intention is that this body will support a more efficient and effective management of the inland fisheries resource. There is an improved national perspective in the formulation of inland fisheries policy, supporting a more streamlined, coherent and integrated approach. While the reality is that the organisation faces pressures on its direct grant from the Exchequer, I can confirm that funding has been made available to Inland Fisheries Ireland to continue its efforts at controlling the weed in Lough Corrib. It employs a number of research staff on the project which will continue to focus on control and containment. Work on the systematic removal of the weed — in collaboration with the local authorities in County Galway — by using a wide range of tried and tested, as well as new and innovative, methods is being conducted over a three-year period.

The contracts of three temporary personnel involved in cutting and clearing the weed which was mainly done by means of scuba diving expired in December 2010. It was not possible to renew these contracts because of the public service staffing moratorium. Notwithstanding the ongoing constraints on public expenditure, Inland Fisheries Ireland has indicated that it will continue to prioritise this work from its available resources. It is considering options for undertaking works to control the weed this year. In that context, on 1 April it requested tenders from suitably qualified contractors and competent suppliers and contractors who would supply equipment or be subcontracted for the control and removal of Lagarosiphon major from Lough Corrib for a 12-month period. The successful tenderer will work in conjunction with existing IFI research and operational staff on Lough Corrib. This important work will continue as resources permit.