I thank the Cathaoirleach and welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O'Dea. Most of us read with consternation in the national press today that various educational projects are likely to be put on the back burner. I am not pessimistic and I come here tonight with a great deal of confidence to call for certain facilities to be put in place at CallaSanctus College in Oranmore. This is not an ordinary project, but an extraordinary one.
This is a great school, with wonderful staff, great teachers, supportive parents and 680 precious children. It is a great seat of learning, but conditions are outdated and inadequate. The staff are working under extreme pressure with 680 students in an outdated school that could not possibly meet safety standards in this modern age.
Great progress has been made. I commend the parents association and all those who have responded so far to the cause. The parents council was advised last October that work would commence in spring or early summer 2001 at the latest. Unfortunately, nothing has happened. The planning process has been gone through and stage 4 has been passed. We now need a commencement date. Money must be included in the internal estimates of the building unit of the Department of Education and Science and provision made in the upcoming budget for finance for the CallaSanctus project in Oranmore.
I said this is not an ordinary project. It is an educational facility for the fastest growing suburban town in Europe. Oranmore is a mecca for house hunters and is spiralling out of all proportion. All four Galway county councillors for the Oranmore area have worked extremely hard over the past year. I commend my colleagues, councillors Noel Grealish, Mary Hoade and Timmy Rabbitt. We worked on a committee with Galway County Council to devise a development plan for this spiralling town on the hinterland of Galway city. We discussed structures, roads, housing and facilities for the huge number of people who want to live in Oranmore.
The most important aspect is a state-of-the-art school in such a growing area. I regret that the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Woods, is not present, but I have great respect also for the Minister of State, Deputy O'Dea, and urge him to respond. The Department of Education and Science and the Government must respond to this issue. The decision on this matter may be given tomorrow when a deputation from the CallaSanctus school comes to Leinster House to meet the Minister for Education and Science. It may be more opportunistic to give a positive response then, given that this is an election year. I do not mind that; I only want action. I make this case not only as a public representative and chairman of the Galway County Council Oranmore electoral area committee, but as a teacher, an educator and a parent of four school going children.
I urge the Minister of State to give me a com mencement date and allocate the finance for a school in the fastest growing town in Europe. This is a reasonable request. Parents in Oranmore are waiting for a positive and reasonable answer and I hope the Minister of State can provide it because this is one of the most important matters I have put before the House in my nine and a half years of membership. I appeal to the Minister of State to bring the project to fruition. He should provide the funding and give a commencement date for the educational facilities that are so much needed in the town of Oranmore, County Galway.
