I welcome the Minister of State to the House, although it is disappointing that the Minister for Education and Science could not attend, given that I have raised this issue with her before now. Nonetheless, I am grateful to you, a Chathaoirligh, for affording me the opportunity to raise this issue today concerning the long-promised, proposed new school building for Athlone Community College. The pupils and parents of Athlone Community College, the CEO, the committee of Westmeath VEC and the board of management of this fine school require urgent clarification on a start date for the new school building that was promised over two years ago.
Westmeath VEC, after months and years of discussion, purchased the lands from Athlone town council adjacent to the school, providing an excellent site in the centre of the town, accessible to all. As a former member of the VEC and chairman of the board of management, there was great excitement and expectation when the announcement was made. At every meeting we asked for updates and were told that everything was in order. The committee was led to believe the school would be built in record time because various templates were in place in the Department of Education and Science. Discussions were held with teachers and pupils to see that their needs would be adhered to and the design template was put in place. The committee understood it was just a matter of appointing the design team. The executive and the principal had an information evening and a meeting with the Department, with a PowerPoint presentation outlining the scale and stages of the procedures. A PSD was also put in place to liaise and advise on how to appoint the design team. The Minister of State can understand how expectations were running high.
In July 2007 the chief executive officer of Westmeath VEC wrote to the school building and planning section in Tullamore responding to a letter outlining the schedule of accommodation for the proposed new school. The chief executive officer thanked the school planning section for the speedy and efficient manner in which the project was progressing. However, he observed that the 8,168 sq. m. was less than adequate for a school of 1,000 pupils. The external and internal space, including playing pitches and parking, did not compare with other school projects recently completed. A meeting was requested by the chief executive officer and the principal last summer and this eventually took place in the offices of Westmeath VEC in Mullingar. The chief executive officer and the principal had a focused agenda about progressing the new school, but officials from the planning and building section of the Department of Education and Science had a different agenda and the new school was way down the agenda. The Minister of State knows what this is about.
Recent correspondence from the Minister, Deputy Hanafin, dated 9 April, did nothing to outline an agenda for when building would commence. It is a procrastinating tactic. The reply was uninformative, routine and unhelpful to parents and students. The letter referred to the fact that a developing unit had been set up recently to focus on the school accommodation needs of rapidly developing areas, including Athlone community college, and that the main emphasis for 2008 — the Minister must have forgotten about 2007 — is to provide sufficient school places in the most rapidly developing areas as well as delivering improvements in the quality of the existing schools. The Minister is referring to primary and post-primary and the emphasis seems to have changed from what was agreed in early 2007. I call for honest clarification.
At a meeting of Westmeath VEC last week the frustrated members of the committee, along with the chief executive officer and the principal, called for a meeting of all Oireachtas Members next week. I seek a definite start date for Athlone community college to bring back to the meeting. This is shambolic.
