We move now to the Adjournment Matter. You have 20 minutes, Senator Costello, and if you wish to share your time with somebody, you should say so at the beginning of your contribution.
Adjournment Matter. - Dublin City School.
Yes, I wish to share some remaining minutes at the end of my time with Senator Norris, with your permission.
I would like to thank the Cathaoirleach for the courtesy of giving me the opportunity of speaking on this Adjournment Matter. It is a matter that concerns me very directly, because I live in Seán McDermott Street and the school in question, the Central Model School, is in Marlborough Street, which is just around the corner about 100 yards from where I live. The people I am talking about, the parents of the children, are my neighbours, my friends. I am chairman of the Seán McDermott Street Community Association and indeed many of the parents are also members of that association and I am in constant contact with them. I speak on this matter from some experience.
I would like, first, to give some degree of background in relation to the subject, namely, the Central Model School, which is located in the grounds of the Department of Education. Indeed, the Minister would see it daily as she drives in or walks in, as the case may be, from opposite the Pro-Cathederal. It is located in the parish of the Pro-Cathederal. She would see the conditions in which the children of the Model School — it is rather ironic to use the term the "model school"— are accommodated in the grounds of her Department.
The Central Model School itself was burnt down on 17 March 1982, thereby leaving the shell of what was once a very fine 19th century building. The shell itself is in good condition. The building itself was a fine architectural piece and indeed the school, having been purpose-built for its time, was a show piece and intended to be a show piece in education.
At present the school is located in prefabs. There are six or seven prefabs with 17 or 18 classrooms and that is the way it has been for the last seven and a half years. When it was burnt down, on that occasion the Department officials categorically assured parents and teachers that alternative accommodation would be provided in prefabricated structures on a temporary basis only until such time as the permanent structure would be refurbished, reconstructed, and they would then be reinstated in the old building. That was a promise that was made seven and a half years ago. Funding was promised to be made available for this.
In the seven and a half years since then nothing at all has happened to fulfil that promise. In the meantime the teachers and the children are working in progressively worsening conditions. Remember we are talking about prefabricated buildings that are not seven and a half years old; we are talking about prefabricated buildings that are 18 years old. They were old buildings already at the time they were commandeered for this "temporary" purpose that has gone on for seven and a half years. They have far exceeded their usable lifespan at this point in time. Even minimal standards of maintenance of security and cleanliness are a constant struggle for the staff and for the pupils who are accommodated there. That has been the situation over the last number of years with no prospect of any improvement in sight or indeed any apparent attempt at or suggestion of a restored Central Model School building.
I would urge the Minister to take note of a number of points which I think are extremely pertinent in relation to this matter and for her to take immediate action to restore the Model School under her direct jurisdiction and again situated in its traditional building in the grounds of her Department of Education. It is a severe embarrassment that this so-called Model School is accommodated in such a fashion and that it is further located right in the backgarden of the Minister herself and has remained in such condition.
First, our primary concern has to be for the safety of the children themselves. These are children who are living in what would be regarded as one of the most disadvantaged areas in the city centre. They are accommodated in unsafe, leaky buildings. I was down there the other day when it was raining and the children were putting buckets under the leaks that were coming through the flat roof. When it rains it is simply impossible to maintain it in adequate repair. That must be a serious worry to parents of very young children, from infants up to primary school leaving age.
The condition of the toilets is atrocious. The Minister herself must be well aware of the primitive conditions in which the children have to go to the toilet. There are no towels available for the children and it is quite unhygienic.
The prefabs are subject to extremes of temperature. In winter they are too cold, in the summer they are too hot. The day I was there they were exceedingly stuffy. That is the nature of prefabs; there is very little ventilation. It is quite unsuitable for young children and it creates a climate where they are subjected to colds, flu, and bronchial illnesses, asthma and so on. A survey was done recently of the children in the inner city, whom we would be concerned with here, and it showed that there was an excessively high level of bronchial problems brought on by the conditions in the inner city, particularly related to lead poisoning. These children are then accommodated throughout the day in further unsatisfactory conditions under the jurisdiction of the Department of Education. It is quite unsatisfactory.
In relation to repairs on the building, it is simply impossible to do adequate repairs. Painting flakes; the building simply does not hold good quality painting. Money that is spent on repairs on the roof is simply wasted. I heard it described very well — that trying to do repairs on the prefabs was like trying to rearrange the furniture on the Titanic, that that was the effect it was going to have, it simply was not going to have any effect.
Secondly, I would like to point out to the Minister that it must be a concern of her Government that a whole generation of primary school children grow up with an understanding of the Department of Education, the Government of this country, having no real interest in them, that they should be neglected for the duration of their primary education. Remember, that is essentially the extent of the education that most children in that area receive. Every day they walk past the office of the Minister, coming into the school they have to pass the fine structure that is the Department of Education. They see in relation to themselves no activity other than the bureaucratic inactivity of promises that are not fulfilled. One day they will grow up to realise that they were wronged as young children. That augurs very badly for the future.
They will grow up with a chip on their shoulder. How can they be expected to respect law and order if that is the way they have been treated at the most vulnerable times in their lives? They are already deprived in the circumstances in which they are living; they are being further deprived by the continuous neglect and by the false promises, the unfulfilled promises, of successive Ministers. I am not referring specifically to the Minister, Deputy O'Rourke. There have been successive Ministers who have neglected this running sore in the inner city. At the same time millions of pounds are being poured into private developments in the vicinity. Only last week we heard the announcement of a luxury hotel being built on the corner of Seán McDermott Street and Marlborough Street and a site has been acquired for a huge office block at the corner of the Department of Education buildings in Marlborough Street itself. These are developments of a luxury nature taking place right in the vicinity of severe deprivation and neglect in relation to the prefabs in which the children are housed. That is literally only seconds' walk away from the prefabricated schools. Surely the youth of the future is a more valuable resource and deserve that our elected Government and Minister would care sincerely for them and take a special care in that particular area of deprivation.
When we — the public representatives of the area — met the Minister for Education about five weeks ago we saw that the Minister was opening an extension of a third level college in Bolton Street. It is an extension which cost in the region of £8 million. None of those youngsters is going to have an opportunity to avail of that level of education, part of the reason being that the primary level is certainly not adequate.
I would like to ask the Minister if she could inform us what has happened to the insurance claim following the fire of 1982? Indeed, I would like to know if a claim has been made and, if the claim has not been made, why has it not been made? Was there a malicious damages claim against Dublin Corporation? Indeed, could I ask the Minister was the building insured at all? If the building was insured — and I presume it would be part of the responsibility of the Department of Education to ensure that all public buildings of this nature would be insured — then the money that would have been obtained in 1982 and the interest that would have been acquired since, surely must go a long way towards the reconstruction and refurbishment of the old Model School. If the building was not insured then certainly there is a question to be asked in relation to the Department's standards and in relation to its protection of its material assets.
At present the school is completely viable. There is no question in relation to the viability or the non-viability of the school. From a minimum of 180 pupils around 1985 — the reason for the low level at that stage was that Dublin Corporation had relocated quite a number of families out of the area to new suburbs, which was corporation policy, and there was a decline in the number of families in the neighbourhood — the numbers have risen over the last few years. At present there are 251 pupils in the school. That is an increase of more than 35 per cent and it breaks down into 148 senior pupils and 103 infant pupils. Therefore, roughly the same figures of schoolgoing population are present now as there were in the early eighties at the time of the fire. The population is not just stable but has been increasing over the last few years. There is no question of lack of viability in relation to the school itself.
Part of the reason for that, is the growing confidence of people in relation to the inner city. In the sixties and, indeed, in the early and late seventies, there was a belief that the inner cities were going to die. They had been so neglected, in particular the inner city of Dublin. There is growing awareness that the inner city is a desirable place to live in, that the inner city is the place of the future, so that there is new confidence and growing numbers of people coming to the inner city. There is also the commitment, in industrial and financial terms, to the Custom House Docks development where up to £300 million is presently being invested in the financial centre and all the concomitant developments and services that will follow on that. There is the likelihood of new jobs — skilled, semi-skilled, unskilled — which were not available in the city heretofore, coming onstream. Therefore, there is greater likelihood of people settling in the inner city, because now there will be, for the first time in over two decades, the possibility of new found employment in the vicinity. Remember that part of the reason for the failure and the decline of the inner city was the decline in the docks. Many people lived by working on the docks as labourers but the onset of containerisation meant that labouring work was no longer available.
On a point of information, if you want to share your time with Senator Norris, you have four minutes.
In two minutes I will hand over to Senator Norris. It is essential that the Central Model School should continue in Marlborough Street. There is a long tradition of teaching excellence in the school. The parents have always spoken very highly of the school and I am aware of that. It is very accessible to youngsters in the inner city. It is the school of the Pro-Cathedral parish. It is a focal point for the community. It is a school that we should and must remain justly proud of. It is the actual physical accommodation that we are concerned with.
The Programme for National Recovery makes explicit provision for education assistance and support for disadvantaged areas. There can be no more disadvantaged area than the north inner city of Dublin, and at the heart of the city there can be no more disadvantaged primary school than the prefabricated school in Marlborough Street. Money invested now in the education of the young boys and girls who attend the school will be money well spent. Only a small percentage of pupils progress to second level and virtually nobody from the area goes to third level. Unemployment is high. What the State saves in not caring for the young in the parish of the Pro-Cathedral it spends a hundredfold on the Garda, the courts, the prisons and unemployment assistance.
Finally, I would say it is a question of priorities. If the priority is investment in the children of the future then the prefabricated buildings must be demolished. The Model School must be reconstructed in the grounds of the Department of Education and the children of the parish must be given a fair chance in life.
I rise to join with my colleague, Senator Costello, who lives in the area and who is, like myself, a teacher, as indeed is the Minister. The Minister, I am sure, will agree with me that a good education is very difficult in a poor environment and this is what we have here in a school that is the Model School — some model for the Minister to find so embarrassingly close to her own backdoor. The building, which was a fine building, is now an eyesore and I very much hope that for a variety of reasons it will be possible to restore the buildings to its original use. It is an historic building. It is the building in which Bernard Shaw was educated. We have just seen the acquisition of the Shaw house for an enormously inflated price because of the international respect in which Shaw is held. Surely it is necessary in this area of deprivation that we do not just take a fossilised view of culture but that we are prepared to spend money.
I imagine the Minister will — I am prepared to predict this — plead budgetary constraints. But I would like to know from the Minister what the costings are and have a date for the completion of this, if it is possible. I know there are difficulties, but I think it is a matter of very considerable importance and I am sure the Minister, who is a humane person, whose presence in the Chamber is always a delight, will agree with me that in a situation of such enormous deprivation in the north inner city it is necessary to practise what is known as positive discrimination, because the children in the north inner city are already so deprived.
The conditions have been spelt out by Senator Costello. I had to spell out last week the same kind of conditions which broke the Factories Act, fire regulations and so on, in St. Garvan's and in No. 20 North Great George's Street. The Minister has the opportunity now to leave her mark on the area and change the environment of the building in which she works; Tyrone House, home of the Beresfords, among the great oppressors of Ireland, and who had a sign in 1798 hung outside their door saying, "J. Beresford, launderer — mangling done here". The Minister, I am sure, is aware of Padráig Pearse's noble essay on education as the murder machine. We must ensure that it is no longer a mangling factory in the grounds. She is a splendid Minister. I am sure she has the capacity to give us, not only the Model School, but also the North Inner City Community College because——
Acting Chairman
The Minister to reply.
May I just complete the sentence I started; it looks so untidy to have "because" at the end of a paragraph. It is impossible for young children to have any respect for civics if they do not have a decent environment.
May I begin by congratulating all those who have returned to this House and welcome the new Members from all sides of the House who I am sure have, had a hard road to get here and who, I am sure, will leave their mark on this Seanad. I am very fond of the Seanad, as I said before in a previous debate, and never refuse a chance to come here. I thank Senator Joe Costello for raising this matter and Senator David Norris who is also associated with it.
Just a few points I want to clear up before we get into the content of what I have to say. I thought that both contributions were very fair. Obviously because Senator Costello had a longer time he was historically, in the cumulative sense, very detailed as to all that went on. As always, Senator Norris added great panache and spice to what he said. I did not know about the mangler, but it is very interesting.
I do not claim to call it the Model School. Much play has been made of the term; but, as we all know in this House, the model school is historically the term used for these particular schools, and there remain some around the country, in Dublin, Limerick, Cork and various places. That is the term that was put on them in the last century and that they have remained. They are peculiarly in the care of the appropriate Minister for Education of the day. Yes, it is in my backyard; and, yes, I do not like it. No, I do not sweep by the children; I stop and talk to those children every single morning. By now I nearly know their names and their mothers' names, because it is mothers who come with their children — sometimes the fathers, but mostly the mothers. I was not happy and I do not remain happy at the sight of it.
I just wonder, if Senator Costello is being slightly political, the school was there for all of them from 1982 to 1987 when his party was a partner in Government and there was not a move out of them to do anything about it. I make that point because it is relevant. There was not a cheep out of any of his party about the Model School and the condition of the school. It has suddenly become an issue now. He is entitled to make a point — we are living in a democracy — and I am entitled to point out that fact, too.
I would object to the Senator objecting to Bolton Street. A note of envy crept in — again, a partisan point. Bolton Street is a very fine third level establishment available to all the people of the land, but particularly Dublin people. There is an increase in the student intake into Bolton Street and this year 94 per cent of the students there are receiving full fees waiver. I think Bolton Street is a fine addition to the inner city and should not be mentioned in an envious sense in regard to other developments needed in the inner city. Surely Bolton Street was entitled to have its extension? It was a pure coincidence that the day the delegation came in to see me was the day I opened Bolton Street. Why should I not be delighted to open Bolton Street? Taxpayers' money went into the building of it and it is an enhancement of the inner city. I would just like to put that on the record.
Five weeks ago I met with the parents and the public representatives, the management and the teachers of the model school, and I told them as soon as the Estimates were out, which were delayed for the last ten days, and I had a full chance to scrutinise my allocations, I would then be meeting with the group again whom I met earlier. That remains my position. I hope to set up that meeting within the next week to ten days. I have put it in train today and I will be meeting with them.
I remain highly disposed towards this school for a great number of reasons. One, I am aware from my constant knowledge of the school itself that there are excellent teachers in it, with a great love of the children in their care. I remain convinced there are excellent parents doing their very best to bring up children and intent upon giving them an education. They come in there very early in the morning. They are trotting along, and children are children, whether they are from County Westmeath or the inner city of Dublin. There is life and hope in their faces. There is a brightness and an expression which you could only warm to. That is very evident in the pupils of that school. I again put this on the record, because when I met the deputation I said the same thing. The children may well be deprived, as are many children in the land in prefabs. I taught in prefabs for 20 years myself — I never left a prefab — but the quality of care which they are getting from teachers in this country is second to none in the whole of the world. The teachers in that school are remarkable for what they are doing for the pupils in their care.
The cost would be approximately £1 million. The whole matter of the insurance is a tangled web which I am seeking to untangle. I hope to have the facts for the meeting which I told the people concerned would be held when the Estimates were over. If I had the money that is where I would put my £1 million and a lot of other millions around the country. I remain very committed to it, as does the Minister for Labour, who represents the constituency and who is prodding me daily about the particular school, as are the other public representatives. He and I yesterday spoke about that school. I know the numbers are viable, I know it is a well run school. I know they are doing a very good job.
I do not take from it when I say that there are many other schools in the land which have prefabs as well. It is not unique. It is unique only because it is centre city. I make that point because it would seem from what you said, Senator Costello, that it was the only school with prefabs left in the land. It is not so. The school is unique in many factors — unique in where it is, unique in its title, unique in the type of child it strives to serve, unique in the service it is giving and unique in that I feel — and Senator Norris touched upon it — culture can be a physical, spiritual and an emotional thing. I feel that that area of Dublin would benefit greatly by being seen to rise again, from the ashes, so to speak the re-emergence of the aesthetically beautiful building which was there before, plain as was the architecture and the style, plain but beautiful.
I hope that when I meet with the parents in the grouping, which is composed of public representatives, teachers, management and parents, within the next eight or ten days, that many issues, on which I have to get facts will have been resolved and that at that time I will be able to develop my ideas further on the matter. I thank both Senators for raising the matter.
May I make a brief comment?
Acting Chairman
I will allow a brief comment.
I would like to thank the Minister for her description. She certainly spun a fine web of words around the area. But perhaps, I like Deputy Ahern, could I prod her a little further. Could the Minister——
Acting Chairman
I think we will leave it at that. The acting Leader of the House.
Is it customary to have a brief comment?
Acting Chairman
No, Senator.
It is proposed to adjourn until 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.
The Seanad adjourned at 8.30 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 16 November 1989.