Let me now, even if it is slightly late, congratulate the Minister on his appointment and I welcome him to the House.
Adjournment Matters. - Castleknock (Dublin) Site.
He has been here all day and fair play to him.
I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the Minister for Education has not come into the House to answer my motion. I am confident that I will be told the history of the site in the Minister's reply.
There was a piece of land purchased — I think in the mid-1980s — for a post primary school in Castleknock. It was decided last year that the building would not go ahead on that site and that the school would be built in Carpenters-town. During the intervening ten to 12 years, the local GAA club, St. Bridget's, has had use of this school site and developed it for pitches. Recently, the Minister seems to have agreed to the selling off of the land at Beechpark Avenue for housing development. The reason which the Minister gave me by way of a memo was that the club had the land on a temporary basis only and that she was obliged to ensure that "We have a duty to the taxpayer to get as much as we can for the site.".
I did not realise, when I had tabled this matter on the Adjournment, that it would be as appropriate as it is tonight. I ask the Minister — not necessarily this Minister — for Education to explain to me and the hundreds of young children in the Blanchardstown area how she can justify the sale of a site which is being used by a club with 60 teams. There was a debate in this House last night on the kind of problems that are in Dublin city and county. This club is trying to ensure that a large number of children are taken out of harm's way and are involved in sports in a productive manner.
It was decided today that this Government would appoint two additional Ministers of State. During the course of the debate it was stated that it would cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to establish these two posts. As matters stand there are an additional 68 paid positions in the Government other than the Oireachtas Members — by that I mean chairmen of committees, convenors and such posts — during the course of this Government. This Government has also agreed to establish four additional committees. These are at a huge cost and would far overshadow the cost of this site to the Department of Education.
When this land was purchased it cost £400,000, which is substantial enough and I acknowledge that. However, the Minister is now claiming that the value of this land is now £1 million, that she is obliged to get value for the taxpayer and get that money by means of a swap agreement with a landowner who is providing the site for the school in Diswellstown. I first ask whether it is morally and ethically correct for the Minister to insist that because a piece of land which was purchased at agricultural prices in the Blanchardstown/ Castleknock area for £400,000 and was then rezoned by Dublin County Council, resulting in an increase in value in the land, that a price way above the land's original purchase price should be put on it. Is it morally and ethically correct to take this facility from the 60 teams of young players in the Corduff, Mulhuddart, Hartstown, Clonsilla and Blanchardstown areas who are actively involved with the club and have reached a good level within it?
I found it very difficult to get an absolute answer from the Department of Education, and the Minister's Office in particular, as to whether she has stamped, signed, sealed and delivered this deal. I hope she has not. If she has, I am now calling on her to reverse that decision. My intervention is only part of what I know to be a very co-ordinated campaign by the club officials, the parents of the children involved in this club, its members and the Opposition politicians from this constituency, who are prepared to support this club, as far as the courts if need be, to ensure that this amenity — the only piece of open space in the Castleknock area — is kept. The next piece of open space to Castleknock, which is supposedly a very affluent area, is the Phoenix Park.
I ask the Minister either to justify this or, more importantly, to reverse the decision to take this amenity from St. Bridget's GAA Club, from the children and the teams using this facility and to give the pitches back, even at a nominal fee, in acknowledgement of the commitment and work this voluntary group has done for the youth of Blanchardstown and Castleknock. I implore the Minister to ensure that this is achieved.
I thank the Senator for giving me an opportunity to clarify the position regarding the site at Beechpark Avenue, Castleknock. I apologise for the Minister for Education and the Minister for State at that Department who, unfortunately, were unavailable to come to the House this evening to take this matter and I have been delegated to do it for them. The background to the matter is as follows.
The question of providing a new post-primary school for the Castleknock/ Laurel Lodge area has been under consideration in my Department since 1975.
In 1983 the Department purchased a site at Beechpark at a cost of £469,535, that is, £55,000 per acre. Architectural planning of the new school for this site proceeded and reached a stage where tenders for the construction of the new school were received.
Following a review of the needs of the area, the then Minister for Education decided in July 1987, in the light of capital resources then available, to defer the provision of the new school on the basis that adequate pupil spaces existed in adjacent schools.
A further review of the requirements of the area was carried out by Dr. Bannon in 1993. He recommended that in the light of continuing housing developments in the area, the existing school site in Beechpark was inadequate and in an unsatisfactory location and that a new school should be located in Diswellstown. The Minister for Education decided in January 1994 that the new school should proceed as recommended by Dr. Bannon and that it would be a community college under the County Dublin vocational education committee, who were requested to establish a board of management. The vocational education committee has identified a new site in Diswellstown and intends operating the school from September 1995.
The cost of Diswellstown site is £1.5 million. The vocational education committee has negotiated terms for the acquisition of the Diswellstown site with the landowners, Park Developments Limited, which involves the exchange of their lands in Diswellstown in return for the site at Beechpark owned by the Department of Education with a balancing cash payment.
The terms negotiated by the vocational education committee have been carefully considered and following consultation with the Valuation Office, they have been authorised to proceed with the exchange of the lands. I understand that the legal arrangements have been put in train by the vocational education committee's legal advisers and that these will be completed quickly as the vocational education committee hopes to start construction of the new school shortly.
Since 1985 St. Brigid's GAA club has been using the Beechpark site on a temporary basis for playing pitches at a nominal rent. This was always intended to be a temporary arrangement pending construction of the proposed school. This was again made clear to the club in 1988 when it sought a ten year lease which was refused. The position now is that as the site is no longer required for development of a school, the purpose for which it was bought, the Department is obliged to dispose of it for its full value. In the circumstances, therefore, it is not possible to allow the GAA club to continue to use the land. In my position as Minister of State with responsibility for public expenditure I can understand that perfectly.
The Minister for Education regrets the upset caused to the residents and the GAA club by the sale of the land. I understand that the Minister has received many representations asking to have the decision rescinded. However, I hope the Senator will understand that as the property was purchased out of the funds provided by the Exchequer for school building, it is, therefore, not possible to allow it to be used for any other purpose unless the full value is recovered.
I am aware of the history of this site, as is the GAA. The Minister stated that he is obliged to take account of public expenditure. I accept that and made that case tonight in my submission on the appointment of the additional Ministers of State. The money for this school was included in the Estimates for last year. It is not a question of the money not being there to build this school.
The school is going ahead.
That is fine but there was a suggestion in the Minister's reply that unless this deal is done the school may not go ahead.
You are wrong in that suggestion.
It is unusual for a Minister to interject like this in the Seanad. In my short two years here——
It is unusual to have questions asked of a Minister during an Adjournment debate.
I bow to the Minister's superior knowledge but this does not change the fact that this amenity——
An Leas-Chathaoirleach
You must put a question to the Minister.
Are the Minister and the Government prepared to reverse the decision to sell these lands and give them to St. Brigid's GAA club?
As I stated in my reply, the full value of the site has to be realised.
So the answer is no.
No.
The Seanad adjourned at 9.35 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 1 February 1994.