Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 22 Nov 2000

Vol. 164 No. 12

Adjournment Matters. - School Accommodation.

Ms O'Meara

I propose to share my time with Senator Tom Hayes. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to hear this matter.

Ballytarsna national school is situated on the N8 between Horse and Jockey and Cashel, a very dangerous stretch of road which came to national attention because of a dreadful car accident which occurred there last week. My colleague, Senator Hayes, is familiar with the area. It is in the unusual position of being in the south Tipperary county council area and the constituency of Tipperary North.

I was in Ballytarsna school yesterday. It is a small primary school in a building which is very pleasant, were it not for the dreadful noise outside. It is a small school of only 50 pupils and has been successful in winning several tidy schools contests. The school is situated right on the N8 and despite the fact that the county council has put up double white lines, flashing lights on either side of the school, warning signs and road markings, it is still subject to speeding traffic. Yesterday, as I drove to the school from Horse and Jockey I had to drive a considerable distance past the building in order to find a safe place to turn across the oncoming traffic.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, parents pull in to collect pupils. Only last April a potentially serious incident occurred when an articulated truck veered across the road at about three o'clock in the afternoon. It was only by the grace of God that the truck was not carrying a heavy load and a massacre was avoided.

The parents and teachers in the school are very anxious about this situation. They have been told by a departmental inspector that the school will be relocated but they have not been informed of this officially and in writing. The relocation is unlikely to happen for approximately two years. The file on this matter in the Department needs to be marked urgent and sent up the line as quickly as possible. A safe environment must be created for the 50 pupils of Ballytarsna national school, their families and teachers. I look forward to hearing a positive response from the Minister of State.

Mr. T. Hayes

I thank Senator O'Meara for sharing time with me.

To understand the urgency of this situation it is necessary to visit Ballytarsna. It is situated a few miles from Cashel on the main road. Last Friday night three people were killed in a road accident almost beside the school. I attended the funerals in Cahir and I know some of the emergency personnel who attended the scene of the accident. Such was the severity of the accident that some of the emergency personnel needed counselling afterwards. Only three months ago the principal, Chris Hayes, asked me to come out to see where a lorry driver had a miraculous escape and, were it not for his good driving skills, would have crashed into the school yard where children were playing.

Senator O'Meara outlined the urgency of the case and she did not overstate it. I urge the Department and the Minister to address this issue. This school must be dealt with as a matter of urgency. I know land is available because several people in the locality have offered it. If a new school is built, the existing school could be sold so there would not be a huge cost factor. It would not cost much to build a new school. The Minister should put pressure on the Department to speed up this process because this is an emergency.

Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Miss M. Wallace)

I thank both Senators for raising this important issue. I assure them the points they have raised will be drawn to the attention of the relevant people in the Department of Education and Science. I have been asked on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science to outline to both Senators and to the House the Department's position on the accommodation needs of Ballytarsna national school in County Tipperary.

Discussions have been ongoing for some time. These began originally when the board of management of the school submitted an application to the Department of Education and Science for grant aid for the provision of additional accommodation at the existing location. Subsequently, the board changed its request and applied for a new school building on an alternative site, following a road traffic accident adjacent to the entrance. It was pointed out that the school is located at a dangerous bend on the N8, the main Dublin to Cork road.

It arose in the discussions that another small school in the same parish as Ballytarsna national school had sought capital funding from the Department of Education and Science. The local schools inspector raised the question of amalgamation and this was discussed for some time. The Minister and the Department understand that neither school supports this approach at this time. In the circumstances the Department is satisfied that the safety issues affecting Ballytarsna national school must be dealt with on its own merits. Accordingly, the Department will shortly contact the school authorities to determine how the safety of its pupils can best be addressed in the immediate and long term.

I will draw to the attention of the relevant officials the points raised by both Senators because the safety of children is important for all of us. I hope a satisfactory solution will be found when the Department of Education and Science contacts the school authorities shortly to determine how best to address the safety issue.