I thank the Cathaoirleach for affording me the opportunity to raise this matter on the Adjournment. I am particularly pleased the Minister, Deputy Fahey, is here to address the issue. In 1997 he opened the new secondary school in Tulla. I remind Senator O'Toole that the school was built when Gemma Hussey was Minister. The education process in Tulla has developed and has gone from strength to strength. The school's educational acumen is widely recognised throughout County Clare. There are 510 students enrolled and 37 teachers.
Tulla, as the Minister knows, is adjacent to Ennis. It is developing rapidly and will continue to do so in the future. There is a need for a new school. The current school sits on two acres, which is very small given that it accommodates 500 students. The plans are to accommodate at least 700 students. Given the history of the area in the past decade, this figure is likely to reach 1,000. Therefore, a new school on a greenfield site is required, with adequate space for expansion and the provision of proper sporting facilities.
I understand that the Department has sanctioned an extension to the existing school, which is not considered satisfactory by the parents or the teachers associated with it. They are concerned that it will not meet future requirements. Currently, there are 510 students, but there is much congestion in the school – freedom of movement in the school, both for students and teachers, is restricted. The school does not meet health and safety requirements at present, nor does it meet wheelchair accessibility requirements. There is a huge deficit in this regard.
The parents and teachers have examined the issue of a new school. I understand there is a site of almost nine or ten acres available adjacent to the village. The Minister will meet the parents' and teachers' representatives next Thursday. I ask the Minister, Deputy Fahey, to convey to the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Woods, the need to urgently review the matter with regard to building a new school on this site. An issue of cost will arise, but the difference in cost between extending the old school and building a new school may be only in excess of £500,000. It would be wise to investigate this because it would be money very well invested. The site is available and the matter has only to be cleared with the Department.
Will the Minister examine the matter urgently? Currently the circumstances that obtain are totally unsatisfactory, both for teachers and pupils. The matter pertaining to the extension is an urban response to a rural problem – Tulla is a rural area. The children that attend the school there are from a rural background. I suggest to the Minister that the proposed extension – a three-storey building – is not suitable and there is no guarantee that Clare County Council will issue planning permission for that type of structure because it would not be in keeping with structures in the environs of the Tulla area.
In addition to problems that may arise concerning planning permission, there is a real need to examine what is in store for the area in the future. There are predictions that Clare and the triangular area of Shannon, Ennis and Limerick will advance dramatically. Ennis is the fastest growing town in Ireland, if not in Europe. There is a spill-over into Tulla from that development. The number of new residents in the Tulla area is significant. I forecast optimistically that in ten years' time there will be at least 1,000 students availing of secondary education in Tulla. It is important that the right decision is taken now. If the decision is taken to proceed with the extension, as proposed, I can assure the Minister that it will not be adequate in ten years. If this occurs, a greenfield site will have to be found then. To use the money to build an extension now would be a misuse of money. It would be much more prudent and a wise financial investment to spend it on developing a school on a greenfield site. It would afford the children better educational opportunities and enhance the attractiveness of Tulla as an area for people settling in Clare.
I commend to the Minister the proposal to erect a new school on a greenfield site. I hope, before he meets the deputation next Thursday, he will revisit the issue in the Department with a view to accepting the proposal.
