I welcome the opportunity to raise again the issue of Gealscoil Uí Earcáin, Fionnghlas. I have had the pleasure in this House of speaking about the fantastic work done by the principal, parents and teachers of the school and also the great environment created principally by the children. Unfortunately, the school is very old. I attended it when it was under the patronage of the De La Salle.
Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate
Schools Building Projects
That was a long time ago, I would say.
It was. Having visited it recently, I was genuinely shocked to find that many of its fixtures and fittings were in place when I was a pupil. The school's condition is unlike that of my secondary school, which has been completely transformed. The windows are held together with plywood and there are large gaps in them. There is woodworm in old parquet floors, which are coming apart, and the hall is in really poor condition. The surface of the yard is incredibly uneven. The building has no accessibility elements at all. There are no toilets in the classrooms, so children have to travel to the far end of the building. The school is now mixed but was originally a boys' school, which means that it had to be retrofitted. There is no lift for children with access issues. Hot meals provided under the fantastic new hot school meals programme have to be brought upstairs, as does any equipment required.
All of this is despite the really fantastic effort of the parents and staff to make the school top class. The school is top class and has a great atmosphere. There is a 16-classroom extension due and it is included in the accelerated delivery of architectural planning and tendering, ADAPT, programme. I am really frustrated by how slow the process is. It was due to proceed to design phase. We have had to do some work, on foot of the good work of Minister of State Rabbitte, to put in a prefabricated unit for special educational needs. We have two other prefabricated units on site but need to have a new school building.
I get a little confused by the process of the school building unit. There is not much transparency in how things move from one stage to another. We need the Department of Education and Minister to ensure the unit is delivered. I ask that the Government do everything it can to ensure this.
Táim anseo ar son an Aire Oideachais, an Teachta Foley. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the House the major building project that will be undertaken at Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin.
A major building project to provide new suitable accommodation for Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin is included in the Department's construction programme, which is being delivered under the national development plan as part of Project Ireland 2040. As the Deputy said, this project will be delivered under the Department's ADAPT programme. The programme uses a professional external project manager to co-ordinate and drive the design team to achieve the best possible timeframe for the project through the stages of architectural planning, to tender and construction.
The brief for this project is the development of a 16-classroom Gaelscoil with an additional two classrooms for pupils with special educational needs at the current site. As per the brief formulation document supplied to the incoming design team, the option of an extension to or refurbishment of the existing building and the alternative of a new school building and the demolition of the existing one will be fully considered by the school and its design team at stage 1 of the architectural planning process.
The tender competition to appoint the design team for this major project has recently concluded. An initial briefing meeting between the project manager, design team, departmental officials and school authorities was held last Friday, 26 May. During the meeting, the project manager outlined the ADAPT process to the newly appointed design team and the school authorities. As part of its stage 1 initial development, the design team will arrange a follow-up meeting at the school site in the near future.
Stage 1 of architectural planning - site investigation includes investigations of the condition of the existing school buildings, site suitability and the initial sketch scheme, detailing all preferred options for the development of the school's accommodation, including demolition and new build, if feasible. As the Deputy outlined, the school currently occupies a two-storey building constructed during the 1950s on its site at Glasanaon Road and the building fabric and finishes are typical of a building of that type and age. Under the Department's emergency works scheme, refurbishment works to the boys' toilet areas were carried out in 2021 and a tender report for works to the girls' toilet areas is awaited.
The Department recently approved funding to provide interim accommodation on the school site to facilitate the establishment of a special class for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years. The school was granted approval under the modular 2022 scheme for the rental of one classroom in November 2022. The Department is aware that additional works are required in respect of this classroom and a solution is being developed.
I am pleased to advise on behalf of the Minister that approval has issued for the provision of a second SEN classroom at the school and has been referred under the additional schools accommodation scheme. This will be delivered under the Department's devolved SEN reconfiguration and modular accommodation programme. This approach supports accelerated delivery of the accommodation, maximising assistance to the school for this brief. The project will be delivered from the Department's procurement frameworks.
A project management company has been appointed from the Department's framework to design and tender the project. The consultant will lead the project through the various stages of planning process and construction. The school authority has overall responsibility for delivery of the project. The Department is waiting on the school to return the completed form of acceptance.
Good news, Deputy McAuliffe.
I welcome the Minister of State's outline of the process. In replies that constituency colleagues and I have been receiving since last year, it was promised that we would be at this stage many months ago. It is frustrating that an "accelerated" process has been anything but accelerated. I have very few focal Gaeilge, but the Minister of State would want to be telling the officials in the Department of Education "go tapaidh". Last May, the Minister informed the House that the tender for the design phase would take 12 weeks. It is now 12 months later. That is not good enough. While I welcome that the design team has been appointed and that the initial stages have commenced, the school is concerned that the length of time it has taken us to reach this point is a signifier of what is to come. We cannot have that.
This school was in the ownership of the De La Salle Brothers. The State spent €1 million renting the site from the De La Salle Brothers before purchasing it in 2019. The school has only come about because of parent power, with parents coming together to campaign for the Gaelscoil. My message to the departmental officials is that the school's parents will not go away quietly. It has taken too long to reach this stage, although I accept that we now have on the cards a 16-classroom extension, which is welcome. I acknowledge the difficult decisions being considered - whether to retrofit the existing building, what impact that would have on the school's operations, whether to demolish the old school and build in parallel, etc. These are all big questions, but we need to get going and ensure that no class in this generation has to wait another five or six years for the school to be in place.
I will bring this issue to the Minister's attention. In fairness, she has transformed the capital delivery of projects under the Department. She has secured budgets and processes. The appointment of a project manager and design team will move this project along. The project manager and design team will keep the school authorities and the patron body apprised of all developments in this major project. I am sure the Deputy will keep the pressure on the Minister.
Student Accommodation
Next is Deputy Murnane O'Connor, who wishes to discuss plans to ensure adequate provision of student accommodation where?
In Carlow.
Surprise, surprise,
I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this important issue. We were all delighted with the South East Technological University, SETU, strategy plan, which was launched this month. St. Patrick's in Carlow, which is the other college involved, is the second oldest third level institution in Ireland and a leader in education. The future is bright in the south east, particularly for Carlow-Kilkenny, but as the Minister of State can tell, we need to consider student accommodation in County Carlow. What plans are there and what is being put in place or developed? The Government is acutely aware of the challenges that students are facing now and will face when they return to third level in September.
I took a quick look at the rental sites. The average monthly rent for a one-bedroom or two-bedroom apartment-style unit in Carlow is €1,400. As of today, there are just five such units. While the student assistance fund is welcome, there is a considerable lack of bed spaces in campus accommodation. Bespoke housing is urgently needed. I reached out to Carlow County Council and SETU to ask them their plans. I was trying to get information. In fairness, Carlow County Council reverted to me and said that its policy on student accommodation was that it should be located within convenient distance of educational facilities by foot, bicycle or public transport and generally either within the college campus or appropriately zoned land. While this is welcome, it does not provide much information. Under Housing for All, Government approval has been secured to allow technological universities to borrow to build student accommodation. This will help increase availability, but is it happening?
What are the Department's plans to ensure that the students attending SETU at Carlow College will find adequate accommodation? I have been working with many students recently. Carlow being a university town is a game-changer for Carlow-Kilkenny. From speaking with families, the main issue is if students must stay overnight, particularly if they are from outside Carlow. We must ensure that there is proper student accommodation. It is a cost issue. Can anything be done to address it?
We have SETU, but we now need to look to the future. After the process to establish SETU was initiated, there were meetings for seven years. I was a Senator at the time. It took us a long time to get here, but we are here now. Do we in the south east need to set up another Oireachtas group to examine accommodation plans? This is about the bigger picture and affects Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow and Wexford. As the House knows, Carlow-Kilkenny is my concern. How do we put a proper plan in place? How do we work together and help SETU, Carlow County Council, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford? How do we play our part to ensure that we are providing proper accommodation for students who need it? If students cannot find anywhere, it is a worry for families. There is also the cost factor. The more accommodation we have, the less expensive it will be. What is the plan?
It is like a Carlow-Kilkenny fest here this evening. I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor for proposing this question and providing me an opportunity to update the House on the plans of the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, and the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, to respond to the issues she has raised.
The Minister, Minister of State and their officials are actively addressing the availability of student accommodation, given the challenges in the wider rental market that have just been described by Deputy Murnane O'Connor.
Through Housing for All, the Government has approved the development of long-term and short-term policies and the provision of funding to increase the supply of purpose-built student accommodation. A dedicated student accommodation unit has been established to develop and implement this policy alongside the Higher Education Authority, HEA. The Minister, Deputy Harris, and the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, and their officials are working closely with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and officials in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on the range of measures, including standards for student accommodation. Extensive collaboration and discussions on student accommodation are also ongoing with the wider higher education sector and other key stakeholders.
The immediate priority is to activate projects with planning permission. To date, the Government is supporting 1,071 new beds in the University of Limerick, Dublin City University, Maynooth University and the University of Galway. Department officials are also examining potential additional developments at UCD, Trinity, the University of Galway and UCC under this short-term measure. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, will bring an update on this initiative to the Government by the end of quarter 2 this year.
The Government has also approved funding of €1 million to support the technological universities to assess their accommodation needs. The funding being provided will provide consultancy support to undertake a cohesive and regionally focused feasibility study, as suggested by the Deputy, for each technological university. This study will inform a long-term student accommodation policy and it is intended to bring a methodology on this policy development to the Government before the summer recess.
Department officials met with the technological university sector on 23 February this year to progress the objectives of the feasibility study and to establish the data and engagement needs from the TUs involved in this process. The terms of reference for a TU feasibility study have been finalised between the Department and the HEA, and the appointment of the consultant will be completed in quarter 2 of this year. The study will commence immediately thereafter, with phase 1 of the work focused on establishing a national and regional data picture on supply and demand projections for student accommodation across all publicly funded higher education providers and their environs.
A series of further engagements with the TU sector will be led by the consultants to inform this study. The role of the institutions in collating the data, presenting the specific needs of the sector and its students, and assessing options is imperative to the success of this study and to forging a path for the provision of student accommodation.
The South East Technological University has conducted a feasibility study and submitted it to the Department for consideration. SETU is currently developing a plan for the delivery of approximately 700 beds on each of the campuses in Waterford and Carlow, that is, approximately 1,400 beds in total. SETU is also commencing the process of responding to the requirements of the public spending code in relation to the development of a preliminary business case. The Department, the HEA, and its consultants are committed to working with SETU to progress proposals in line with the TU study.
The short-term student accommodation policy is progressing while the long-term response is developed. The Ministers and their officials are receptive to examining all solutions to assist in solving the student accommodation problem and are ready to work with any or all of the five technological universities to support them to assess student accommodation needs and, subject to the agreement of a borrowing framework, to borrow to build student accommodation.
I thank the Minister of State. That is very welcome information, in particular that a dedicated student accommodation unit has been established to develop and implement the policy along with the Higher Education Authority. I very much welcome that. The bigger issue for me is that the Minister of State outlined there is a need for 700 accommodation units for Carlow and 700 units for Waterford. That is most welcome. I am delighted to see the progress that has been achieved.
However, we need to have more information on this. I was not aware of all the work that was going on. We very much appreciate the work done by the Minister, Deputy Harris. His commitment and dedication to SETU is evident, but we need to give the information and have a plan. While this is really good and welcome, could we meet with the Minister, perhaps get the rest of the information and continue on from there? At least we will know the updates then and I will be able to people this is where we are, we have a plan and this is what is happening. I again thank the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, the Minister, Deputy Harris, and the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, for their hard work, commitment and dedication to the work that has taken place.
Far be it from me to confirm the diary of the Minister, Deputy Harris, but I am sure he will accede to a request to meet Deputy Murnane O'Connor on this issue. As she is aware, the student accommodation problem is part of the crisis currently being experienced in the overall housing market. The increasing cost of construction and financing are compounding the challenges in supply faced by all the higher education institutes in accommodating their growing student population.
In responding to these challenges, the Minister, Deputy Harris, and the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, have the support of the Government and they have developed a number of initiatives, which I have just outlined. For technological universities to thrive and to ensure balanced regional development, there is a need to have more student accommodation in the regions. The technological universities are ready for the challenge and this funding will start them on their path.
The Ministers and their officials welcome the SETU initiative in conducting a feasibility study, in particular the development of an accommodation plan to include 700 new beds in Carlow and another 700 in Waterford. The assessment will be progressed with the Department and the HEA in the coming months, in conjunction with the overall TU feasibility process for student accommodation.
The Department is working with the relevant Departments to explore the development of a specific borrowing framework for TUs. The Department will consider the identification and reuse of vacant premises which may be particularly suitable for regional locations. Officials met with the County and City Management Association on 24 May to explore the use of vacant properties as an option for the supply of student accommodation.
The rent-a-room scheme has been expanded to include local authority tenancies, and the income earned from the scheme will not be included in assessing medical card eligibility. Work is ongoing across all relevant Departments to progress the implementation of these and other changes. I am pretty sure if the Deputy looks for a meeting with the Minister, Deputy Harris, or the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, it will happen.
I thank the Minister of State.
Water Quality
I thank the Ceann Comhairle and his office for selecting this matter this evening, and I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, for being here to respond to it.
There is a major problem affecting the water supply for almost 10,000 people in east Cork. It is impacting areas south-east of Midleton such as Ballinacurra, Cloyne, Aghada, Ballycotton, Churchtown, Trabolgan and all rural areas in between. This problem has been there, on and off, since January 2016. Boil water notices have been put in place in those areas for varying periods of between two weeks and several months, and the notice that is currently in place has been there since October 2022. This means residents cannot rely on their water supply. Up to 10,000 customers are affected. They have to spend between €1.39 and €1.49 on 5 l of water from local supermarkets. This adds up to a minimum of €16 per month for a recommended consumption of 2 l of water per day and a minimum of €64 per month for a family of four. That is just the cost of buying the water. It does not include the cost of boiling water as well. These numbers highlight the urgency of the matter. In fact, the price of water has increased by almost 10 cent for 5 l since I last raised the matter as a Topical Issue on 15 December 2022. In the meantime, affected households continue to either boil their water or else bear the cost of purchasing plastic water bottles, which adds to the overuse of single-use plastic bottles, something the Minister of State and I do not like to see happen. He will appreciate this is adding in a major way to household costs and adding to the proliferation of single-use plastic.
While Irish Water put in a new filtration system with two microfiltration units and a UV disinfection unit in 2016 at a cost of more than €1 million for both, this has not yielded the desired results and boil water notices have continued to be issued. Irish Water has recognised the need for a major upgrade to the water treatment plant in Whitegate and it has outlined a timeline for construction to commence in 2024, with the plant expected to be completed in late 2025. I appreciate that on 20 January this year, planning permission was submitted for the wastewater treatment plant in Whitegate, but we have yet to see any further updates in this regard.
I understand that, despite the cost involved to families, there currently is no form of compensation mechanism, although businesses in the same situation are entitled to a discount on bills, which is applied automatically. I believe we need to look into compensating the families as well.
Another issue that has arisen recently relates to the regularity of updates on the Irish Water website. While the last boil water notice was issued in October 2022 - and has not been lifted since - there has been no further information issued since 16 March. Residents in the area, my constituents, are anxious to learn if there have been any improvements in the interim. All of this is adding to local household costs and increasing concerns ahead of the summer months when water consumption is expected to be at its highest. I would like the Minister of State to specifically discuss the issue of compensation for said households in east County Cork and the possibility of lifting the notice. Heavy rain causes turbidity in the water, which I understand, but there has not been rain for quite a while. Neither has there been an update from Irish Water with respect to when it expects this to be lifted. The costs and inconvenience to people having to drag water into cars, drive to shops to buy it, bring it back and so on has been going on for months; in fact, it has been going on for years in this particular area. People are losing patience.
I look forward to hearing what the Minister of State has to say. Perhaps he will have some information and may go back to his colleagues in government. While I do not expect him to tell me tonight that he will compensate families, it is something the Government could consider, bearing in mind the stress, problems, inconvenience, cost and pollution this is causing.
The Deputy raised an important and ongoing issue that has persisted for some time and is of great concern to the local community in Whitegate. The Deputy will appreciate that the operation of the Whitegate regional public water supply is a matter for Uisce Éireann, which has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services, planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local level. In turn, the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, as an environmental regulator, is responsible for setting quality standards and enforcing compliance with EU directives and national regulations for the provision of drinking water.
I understand from inquiries made with Uisce Éireann that the boil water notice currently in place for the Whitegate public water supply was issued on 29 October 2022 following consultation between Uisce Éireann, Cork County Council and the Health Service Executive, HSE. This boil water notice, which remains in place today, was issued to protect approximately 9,500 customers in Whitegate, Aghada, Churchtown, Ballycotton, Saleen, Shanagarry, Ballinacura and areas of Cloyne. The notice was issued as a result of increased turbidity, as the Deputy said, in the raw water, which can happen at source as it is susceptible to raw water quality issues after rainfall events. I understand it is a karst limestone area and is particularly susceptible to issues of turbidity. Boil water notices have been issued on Whitegate public water supply a number of times over the past few years. I appreciate the Deputy's comments about not receiving an update from Irish Water since 16 March, which I note.
The operation of Whitegate public water supply is a matter for Uisce Éireann, which has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. I understand that in the short term, upgrade works are complete and Uisce Éireann hopes to be able to lift the boil water notice in June. However, the raw water supply remains susceptible to weather-related changes in turbidity, which will be addressed once the new plant is operational. As always, public health is Uisce Éireann's number one priority and there is a possibility it may have to reissue the boil water notice if the raw water quality deteriorates or there is a spell of adverse weather. The cloudy, opaque look of turbidity is a visual indicator of water quality. It must be taken seriously.
In the longer term, the delivery of a new water treatment plant as the permanent solution to issues at Whitegate is under way. The project is currently moving through the detailed design and statutory approval stage. Planning permission was granted on 23 May 2023 and the tender process will follow to procure a contractor to deliver construction of the project.
Uisce Éireann has a strong customer service focus through its water charges plan and customer charter, which outlines the standard of service customers should expect to receive. The water charges plan sets out a compensation mechanism when water quality is compromised and unfit for human consumption, such as when boil water and drinking water restriction notices apply.
Business customers who pay charges are entitled to a rebate under the customer handbook as agreed with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU. Adjustments are made via customers’ bills. This only applies to water used for drinking. Implementation of the water charges plan is a matter in the first instance for Uisce Éireann. Any issues that cannot be resolved by Uisce Éireann to the satisfaction of the customer can be referred, under the formal complaints process, to the CRU.
The Department’s priority is to ensure that people’s health is protected and that adequate water is available to all consumers. We all want to see this notice lifted without undue delay but only when the HSE and EPA have confirmed the water supply is safe can we do so.
I thank the Minister of State for his response. Perhaps he will clarify in his final remarks the statement he made that the water charges plan sets out a comprehensive mechanism when water quality is compromised or unfit for human consumption, such as when boil water and drinking water restrictions apply. My understanding is that any compensation or changes only apply to business customers, not to households. The whole thrust of the debate this evening was to encourage the Minister and Government to consider making funding available so people can get some level of compensation. This has been going on since 2016. The Minister of State and everyone here will appreciate the time-consuming nature of this entire process, particularly for households with dependent individuals, whether they be children, older people or people with disabilities. Safe water must never be a luxury. It is a foundation of basic and healthy everyday life.
I previously asked that four areas be acted upon, including the need to deal with the cost to householders, which is important. It is also important to recognise there is a huge inconvenience in this case. Irish Water must be directed to ensure that people are reminded on a regular basis of the boil water notice. There are no signs up anywhere. If somebody new moves into the area, they have no idea there is a boil water notice in place. Another area is the need to engage with Irish Water to see if anything can be done to rectify the problem before the end of 2025. I will be gone from the House; the Minister of State may also be gone. Who knows? The Ceann Comhairle will probably still be here. It is amazing that it takes that long. Another area is greater openness on Irish Water's part to engage with public representatives. I suggested that Irish Water should make itself available to local municipal district meetings and explain to councillors what is going on and what its plan is to rectify this. There has been very little improvement in these areas since I brought this up last December. The Irish Water website has not been updated to give people information either.
It will take until 2025, yet it has been going on since 2016, which is almost ten years. Perhaps we should bring the Chinese over to get the job done; they seem to get work like this done in months. This is becoming urgent. At the very least, householders should be compensated for the added costs on their livelihoods as we cannot ease their hardship, it seems, before 2025.
The points the Deputy raised are valid in terms of consumers having to buy bottled water, the plastic waste that creates and the fact that sometimes bottled water is not of great quality, as well as the uncertainty. I will convey the points he raised about communication with Uisce Éireann. It is not acceptable that there are no conspicuous notices and the website needs to be updated regarding boil water notices. The Deputy will appreciate that the compensation is for business customers as they are particularly put out, especially coffee shops, restaurants and bars, for example, which is why the scheme exists. I will also convey the ask set out in the question about compensation for consumers. It is a matter for Uisce Éireann and its water charges plan but I accept that almost 10,000 people have been badly affected and put out by having to buy bottled water daily. It is difficult when people have young babies and use baby formula; it is a huge inconvenience. Thankfully, Uisce Éireann is dealing with it through the investment Government has made over the last few years. We see fewer and fewer boil water notices but we must eliminate them completely, which the Government is committed to. I take on board the points the Deputy made and will convey them to the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and, in due course, to Uisce Éireann.
Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 9.39 p.m. go dtí 9.12 a.m., Dé Céadaoin, an 31 Bealtaine 2023.
The Dáil adjourned at 9.39 p.m until 9.12 a.m on Wednesday, 31 May 2023.