I thank the Chair for allowing me to raise this matter. I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Education, Deputy Fahey. The issue to which I refer is the urgent need to construct an extension to St. Mary's national school, Askeaton, County Limerick. The school, which was built in the early sixties, now requires two further classrooms and one remedial room.
There are 230 pupils in the school and the educational facilities include three prefabricated structures, two of which are single rooms. The other originally had three rooms and a general purpose room but only one room is now serviceable. The other rooms are inadequate for the facilities required and are out of use. The school does not now have a general purpose room and for most of the time students eat their lunch in the open air. They eat in classrooms in the event of bad weather. The Minister must agree that this is not acceptable and I urge him to ensure that the necessary funds are provided in 1992 to erect an extension.
The prefabricated structures require regular repairs and the Minister will agree that this expenditure is money down the drain. The present structures are not suitable and, to an extent, the children who are obtaining education in these conditions must be considered as disadvantaged. I ask the Minister to give this matter his urgent attention.
The heating system is in urgent need of replacement. The temperatures in winter can be very low. He will appreciate that it is difficult to maintain proper tempertures in prefabricated buildings. In winter it can be very cold and in summer excessively warm. The pre-fabricated buildings have become progressively worse in the past two or three years and people involved in the local committee say that this is the last year these buildings will be in use because of their condition. There is doubt about one of them lasting through this winter.
Local funding to construct the extension has been available for five years. Ninety thousand pounds was collectd between 1979 and 1987 and £150,000 is required from the Department to complete the construction.
Class numbers have remained steady over the past ten years and it is reliably forecast that there will be an increase in the number of students because of developments in the area. Wyeth Ireland Ltd., the main industry in Askeaton, are embarking on an extensive development programme. I take this opportunity to congratulate that company for the contribution it has made to Askeaton. The organisation is embarking on a comprehensive expansionary programme which will bring more people to live in the area and thereby increase the school population. Aughinish Alumina is developing and will have the same effect. Shannon Development have informed me within the past week that they are actively seeking industrialists to commence operations on the IDA site in Askeaton. They are hopeful of a major industry setting up there and this will have the effect of increasing the population and thereby the number of pupils attending the school.
In July 1988 a delegation from Askeaton met the Minister, outlined the needs of the school and expressed their concern with conditions at that time. In 1989 the Minister approved the provision of an extension to the junior school and improvements to the senior school consisting of two classrooms and a remedial room for the junior school. It was suggested that a general purpose room be built from local funds. Improvement in toilet facilities and the heating system in the senior school were proposed. The Minister committed the Department of Education to complete the plans as a matter of urgency.
I again urge the Minister and the Government to make the necessary funds available to overcome this serious ongoing problem in Askeaton and allow the children there to have proper educational facilities such as are available throughout most of the country. The position in Askeaton is totally unacceptable. I await with interest the Minister's reply.
