Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 29 Mar 2006

Vol. 183 No. 5

Adjournment Matters.

Schools Building Projects.

Mr. Browne

I welcome the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Brennan, to the House. I hoped the Minister for Education and Science would be here, but I am sure Deputy Brennan will pass on my comments to her.

Ardattin national school was a small two-teacher school but following an explosion in attendance it now has three teachers and has consequently applied for a devolved grant to build on a new unit.

I compliment the Department of Education and Science on the trend it is following to move away from horrible prefab buildings. I was delighted to see from a parliamentary question reply that the Department only spends 5% of its budget on prefabs. While prefabs may be a short-term solution, they turn into a long-term problem. I taught in a prefab and found it unsatisfactory in terms of ventilation, etc. When I was teaching in a prefab in a Dublin school, my first job each morning was to empty the mouse-traps.

Ardattin is a beautiful village in County Carlow with a proud record in the Tidy Towns competition. The school was offered a prefab by the Department, but it felt it would be unsuitable and take away from the overall appearance of the village. The school is beside a beautiful church and has done much work on its grounds. It has put in a basketball court and added a staffroom at its own expense. It was looking forward to getting a devolved grant to enable it to add on two extra classrooms that would blend in with the existing building but, unfortunately, that has not happened.

I appreciate the school was offered a prefab, but that would not be satisfactory to the school or the community particularly in view of the work done in improving the overall appearance of the village. I appeal to the Minister to reverse the decision and provide the money to build a permanent solution to the current problem that will enhance the village.

Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Mr. S. Brennan)

As a former Minister for Education and Science, I understand the points being made by the Senator.

On behalf of the Minister for Education and Science I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it affords me the opportunity to outline to the Seanad the strategy of the Department of Education and Science for capital investment in education projects, and also to outline the action planned to progress the application for capital funding received from Ardattin national school, County Carlow.

Modernising facilities in our 3,200 primary and 750 post-primary schools is not an easy task given the legacy of decades of underinvestment in this area and the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth. Nonetheless, since taking office, the Government has shown a sincere determination to improve the condition of our school buildings and to ensure that the appropriate facilities are in place to enable the implementation of a broad and balanced curriculum.

In this regard the Government has invested in the largest school building programme in the history of the State. Between 1998 and the end of 2004, almost €2 billion was invested in school buildings, which represents a five-fold increase in capital allocations. In the region of 7,500 large and small projects were completed in schools in this period, including 130 brand new schools and 510 large-scale refurbishments and extensions. To build on this extensive progress, in 2006 over €491 million will be spent on school building projects, compared with just €92 million in 1997. The 2006 allocation is an increase of over 9% in real terms on the 2005 allocation.

As the Senator will be aware, at the end of last year the Minister for Education and Science outlined her spending plans for primary and post-primary schools for 2006. With €491 million to be spent on school buildings, over 1,300 active projects will be embarked on in schools throughout the country. This significant investment will allow the Department to continue to progress its major programme of school building and modernisation, which includes improving equipment needed for new technologies and ICT.

It was not possible to include the proposed building project at Ardattin national school in the list of schools recently announced to receive funding for extension and refurbishment works, as a determination of the school's long-term needs, and hence its suitability or otherwise for such a scheme, had not been sufficiently advanced at the time decisions were required to be made on school selections for the schemes in question.

The application has, however, been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects and progress on the proposed works is being considered in the context of the school building and modernisation programme from 2006 onwards. In the meantime, I am pleased to inform the Senator that approval has been given to the school for the rental of temporary accommodation to meet its immediate accommodation needs.

School Meals Programme.

Ms Tuffy

The matter I raise is self-explanatory and I will not add much except to say that I support the call for the extension of the school meals programme to more schools and pupils and for more funding for the programme. There should also be particular emphasis on healthy eating for the children involved. I look forward to hearing the Minister's response.

Mr. S. Brennan

I thank Senator Tuffy for raising this issue and appreciate her sincere approach to the matter.

The school meals programme operated by the Department provides funding towards provision of food services for disadvantaged school children through two schemes. The first is the long-standing statutory urban school meals scheme which is currently operated by 36 local authorities. The Department jointly funds the food costs on a 50-50 basis with the local authorities who also manage and fund the administration of the scheme.

The urban scheme is confined to primary schoolchildren and the decision on eligibility of individual children and schools rests with the local authorities, subject to the Department's approval. A total of 386 primary schools have benefited under the urban school meals scheme for the calendar year 2005, of which ten were in the Dublin mid-west region, all in Clondalkin. It is not possible to determine how many pupils benefited from the scheme in this region as the Department does not have that information to hand from the south Dublin local authority.

The second programme is the school meals community and local projects programme. Unlike the urban scheme, this scheme is non-statutory and provides funding directly to national schools, secondary schools, local groups and voluntary organisations which operate their own meals projects. Projects must be targeted at areas of disadvantage or at children with special needs. Funding under this scheme is for food only, which must be of suitable quality and nutritional value and be prepared and consumed in an appropriate environment. This scheme came into operation in September 2000 and has since been expanded to include preschools that are community based and which operate on a not-for-profit basis. The amount of funding allocated to a project depends on the type and number of meals provided. The current rates of funding for the various meal types are as follows: breakfast, €0.60; light meals, €1.40; and dinner, €1.90.

In the current academic year, 2005-2006, a total of 24 schools in co-operation with 12 organisations are involved in running food clubs in the Dublin mid-west region, benefiting 2,469 children through breakfast, lunch and homework clubs. I will arrange for a tabular statement to be provided to the Senator on the organisations providing these food clubs. I do not have information on the overall number of schools in the Dublin mid-west area so I cannot provide details on the percentage of schools and pupils benefiting from the school meals scheme.

There is ongoing liaison between my Department and the Department of Education and Science on school meals issues. In 2005 the Department of Education and Science initiated a new action plan, Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, DEIS, which incorporates many of the Department's existing schemes which target educational disadvantage. A list of schools identified for inclusion in its school support programme is being updated and will be available shortly. The Department will use this list to ensure that disadvantaged schools are prioritised for inclusion in the school meals programme.

The school meals programme makes an important contribution to ensuring that school children receive better nutrition and contributes to improved school attendance and quality of learning. The scheme also supports initiatives that target dispersed disadvantage and children with special needs.

Community Development.

Mr. Bannon

I thank the Minister of State at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Noel Ahern, for taking this matter. I wish to impress on him the need to clarify the position on once-off funding for Kenagh community centre, County Longford, which was built at a cost of €662,000 in a small rural parish of approximately 700 people. They are finding it difficult to pay the outstanding loan of €240,000 on this valuable community amenity and are seeking funding from the Government to pay half of the loan amount.

Between 2000 and 2003, the Kenagh community centre committee worked hard to raise funds and sought to put in place a first-class facility for sport, recreation and entertainment, a place for the community to meet and grow. This type of facility has been provided in Kenagh and in other communities throughout the country to combat the drug and drink culture which we all know is responsible for an upsurge in violence, killings and carnage on our roads. Such a centre is the heart of any local community and an invaluable asset. This facility is now in place alongside Kenagh football club and the two complement each other very well. Kenagh GAA club gave the site to the community on a 99-year lease, a very generous gesture that was much appreciated.

As with all such ventures, goodwill and funding are of greatest importance. The goodwill in the area was evident from the start and local support for fund-raising has been more than generous. However, funding at national level is required to support the outstanding voluntary effort.

The Kenagh community centre cost €662,000 to build. The sports hall has a maple floor that cost €44,000 to install. The committee received a grant of €114,000 from the national lottery fund, €38,000 from the Leader II programme and €10,000 from Longford County Council. In effect, the local community has received approximately one quarter of the total cost, leaving three quarters for it to find itself. This is hardly an equitable situation, given the current national prosperity and considering the benefits that have accrued to the community from this project.

The parish of Kenagh has a mere 240 families, which amounts to approximately 700 people. The community relies heavily on the catchment area for the use of this facility but this does not help it to pay off the loan, which amounts to €240,000 over a 15-year period. Last year the community centre committee laid a tarmacadam surface which cost €40,000 and installed an electric timer in the sports hall. The committee applied for a national lottery grant but was turned down because it was not considered a high priority, but these improvements were very necessary to the centre.

The Kenagh committee is seeking a once-off allocation, with no matching funding, and would be happy with an amount equal to half of the outstanding loan. Perhaps the Minister of State will consider this, given that small rural communities do not have large enough populations to finance projects such as this, which bring enormous benefits. I plead with the Minister of State to give the matter his consideration and ensure that the committee will be granted half of the €240,000 loan that is still outstanding. The local community will pay the remainder, if the Minister of State is generous with funding.

Minister of State at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Mr. N. Ahern)

While I hear what the Senator is saying, I am somewhat at a loss as to why he has raised this matter on the Adjournment. The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs does not have funding available and does not operate a scheme of funding for the building of community centres. I accept that there may be a need for such a fund, but at present, there is none.

The programme of grants for locally-based community and voluntary organisations, funded by my Department, supports the activities of local voluntary and community groups addressing disadvantage in their community. I stress that the scheme is particularly geared towards disadvantage. The programme has benefited thousands of locally-based community and voluntary organisations throughout the country.

Under the 2005 programme, I provided funding in excess of €5.5 million for over 500 groups across the country. This represented a sizeable increase of some €2 million over the 2004 programme. The organisations funded cover a broad spectrum of local voluntary and community activity but the common thread in all projects is that they aim to address disadvantage in their communities. Details of the groups which received funding under the programme are published on my Department's website at www.pobail.ie. I am sure there are groups in the Senator’s constituency that received funding.

The programme includes a funding scheme for small-scale refurbishment of premises, including community halls. Grants of up to €40,000 are available for refurbishment purposes. Priority under the programme is given to disadvantaged communities with a greater priority accorded to self-help initiatives by disadvantaged groups and communities over proposals involving direct service provision.

The programme is advertised widely in the national and regional newspapers on an annual basis. It will be advertised again before the summer, in six to eight weeks' time. However, as I said, funding is very much geared towards disadvantage and refurbishment of existing community centres. No application for funding was received by my Department under the programme from Kenagh community centre. Again, I must point out that the programme does not cover the construction of community centres and there is no funding available or scheme operated by my Department for retrospective funding of such projects.

With regard to Leader funding, I am advised by Longford Community Resources Limited, a Leader company, that funding of €38,092 was made available by it to Kenagh Community Development Association towards the construction costs of a new community facility in 2002. Grant aid of the amount approved was paid on completion of the work in November 2003. No further application has been made to Longford Community Resources Limited relating to the community centre. It is not possible to make Leader funding available retrospectively to meet any shortfall that has arisen.

I hear what Senator Bannon has said but I do not know that I have a solution. I do not know if the centre has any tenants or if any office space in the centre is rented to any Government-funded programmes. I have seen cases where offices were made available for Government-funded programmes and centres then had tenants who paid rent, which was of some financial help. The Senator mentioned the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism. I do not know if the committee has approached that Department this year. How much did the Senator say the county council gave? Was it €8,000 or €100,000?

Mr. Bannon

€10,000.

Mr. N. Ahern

That does not seem overly generous. Who provided the site?

Mr. Bannon

The GAA gave the site.

Mr. N. Ahern

Some local authorities in receipt of development levies have been quite generous with regard to the provision of community facilities. Development levies were intended, in part, for such provision. However, the committee might have a problem there because of the fact that the centre is already built. There is no single agency that can bail the committee out. Is the loan from the local authority or is it a commercial loan?

Mr. Bannon

The loan is from the banks. Small rural communities need some sort of a centre where young people can congregate. That is lacking in many communities. There should be some grant assistance available towards community centres.

Mr. N. Ahern

I accept there is a gap. Many such centres emphasise the sporting element and approach the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. Other than my Department's refurbishment grant for such centres and community halls, there is a gap. In recent years, the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism seems to have adopted a purer definition of what is meant by "sport".

Either way, there will be a problem in obtaining funding for something that already exists. The Longford Community Enterprise Centre might be of assistance. Perhaps the committee has knocked on every door. If the committee wishes to apply for funding for refurbishment or repairs, the scheme run by my Department might be of assistance, but only up to a maximum of €40,000. However, that would be for something new within the centre or for refurbishment. Other than that, I am afraid that I do not have a solution to the Senator's problem.

Mr. Bannon

I mentioned the refurbishment works involving the installation of the timer and the provision of tarmacadam outside the centre, which cost in the region of €40,000——

An Cathaoirleach

We cannot have a debate on this now.

Mr. Bannon

Would the Department's scheme cover that?

Mr. N. Ahern

The application system will be open for that scheme in the next six to eight weeks. I am sure that not everybody is rich in County Longford and there are some disadvantaged people in the community. In order to qualify for our scheme, the application would have to specifically outline how the project assists disadvantaged people.

I am afraid I do not have a solution or a scheme which would match the requirements of the Kenagh community, apart from the various bodies I mentioned earlier. I advise the committee to approach the Longford Community Enterprise Centre, the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism and the local authority. If the committee is unable to meet the debt repayments, an approach to the local authority for funding from the development levy fund might be of some value.

Mr. Bannon

I thank the Minister of State.

The Seanad adjourned at 7.50 p.m. until10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 30 March 2006.