Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 October 2015
128. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a decision on a preferred site for new school (details supplied) in County Donegal will be made; the reason for the delay in securing a site; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33955/15]
View answerWhen will a decision on a preferred new site for a three-school college campus, Crana College, in Buncrana, County Donegal, be made? What is the reason for the delay in securing a site? Will the Minister update us on the progress in this regard?
As the Deputy is aware, technical inspection of a significant number of potential site options for the school accommodation to which he referred has been conducted by officials from my Department, working with officials from Donegal County Council. My officials are currently considering the findings of the assessment and, with the assistance of the local authority, are clarifying technical issues raised with a view to ensuring that a preferred site option can be advanced as soon as possible.
The Deputy will appreciate the importance of a thorough appraisal of site options in order to ensure the achievement of value for money. The complexity of the issues associated with the development of the site options under consideration, combined with competing demands on the Department's resources has meant that the appraisal has not been finalised. Once all options have been fully appraised, the officials will advance the acquisition of a preferred site for the school accommodation.
As the Minister of State and the Minister know, the proposed Crana College campus in Buncrana is to facilitate three schools. These include Crana College secondary school, which has more than 500 students and more than 11 prefabs onsite. It is not possible to turn these prefabs into permanent accommodation because the site does not have the capacity for further development. There is also Buncrana Gaelscoil, which was established in 1999 and has gone from strength to strength. At present it is accommodated in Buncrana Youth Club and has more than 180 students. The other school is Coláiste Chineál Eoghain, which is the only second level Gaelscoil in Donegal and which is housed in Tullarvan Mill.
Two days from today, it will be exactly a year since I raised this issue on the floor of the Dáil and the Minister, Deputy O'Sullivan, responded to me. The response I received from her on that day was more positive than what I received today. It is bad enough when a project stands still but it is worse when it seems to go backwards. This time a year ago the Minister, Deputy O'Sullivan, indicated to me it was her feedback and information that a site had been identified. Today, one year later, we are, according to the Minister of State's response, still assessing numerous sites. We need to progress this quickly. It is unacceptable that it is simply not moving forward. Will the Minister of State update me in his response as to why it has gone no further forward and when we can expect to see a site purchased so we can start to progress the project?
To be clear, a significant number of potential site options were identified by the local authority. It is the duty of the local authority to provide site options. The Department has investigated all of them as technical assessments were required. Most of the sites involve complex issues. It is often the case that a preferred site is identified but this changes after other options are examined. This is quite likely what has happened here.
It is a slow process. I have met some of the parents involved and it is important that we get the right site which will not have planning problems down the line and will not be delayed elsewhere. Funding was not there to build a school in the current five year plan because it was not deemed a priority area given demographic demand. Assessment for the next construction plan is under way and demographics in every area are being examined. The Deputy has said how important it is. The unit in the Department of Education and Skills is examining it and will make recommendations on the key priority areas. Separate and prior to this, work must be done to identify the best site, which takes time.
The Deputy asked how long the process will take. As I stated, it is complex and subject to completion of successful negotiation and conveyancing processes. Given the complexities involved it is not possible to give a definite timeframe for the completion of the acquisition. The officials will endeavour to bring the process to a conclusion as soon as possible. Everyone wants to pick a site so planning can continue. There will be no delay after a site is picked. It is important to get it right.
The process is no more complex than what the Minister of State and the Department are making it. In his response, the Minister of State said it is going slowly but the reason for this is how it has been handled. The Department asked Donegal Education and Training Board, ETB, to identify possible sites and recommend one. When this process concluded, the Department decided to start all over again and asked Donegal County Council to do the job instead. This is the fault of the Minister of State. It is his doing and his lack of organisation which has led to these delays and to it being complex. If the Department, the Minister of State and the Minister had their act together on this then whoever they wanted involved should have been so from the outset, such as Donegal County Council and the education and training board doing parallel assessments. While doing its assessment, Donegal ETB worked very closely with Donegal County Council but the Minister of State went back to the start. It is the Department, the Minister, the Minister of State and the Government who are stalling the project. We need to see it progressed.
Unfortunately, time is running out for this Government to demonstrate the required leadership because it only has three or four months left. The staff, students and parents of these three schools are suffering the daily frustration of working on sites that are not purpose-built schools.
Thank you.
From today, we would like to see real progress, with work completed at a preferred identified site. We want the Department to purchase such a site in order that the project can progress rather than go backwards, as we have seen, unfortunately, over the past 12 months.
With regard to the time involved, we have heard other questions about policy, time and planning matters as well. It is important that the right site is picked. Previous Administrations did not do that correctly, so it is right for the county council to be fully involved in picking the site.
Of course. No site is being picked.
I will not apologise for that. We put that reform in place and that is the way it should always have been. That was not always the case. When the site is picked, it will be the right site. That means it will not get delayed at other stages and we will be able to access the site with the correct infrastructure. It will be the right site for all the stakeholders. I have seen with previous Administrations how sites were picked for the wrong reasons. They were left for ten or 15 years, stuck in planning and so on, and that is not the way to do business. It is right that Donegal County Council has a leading role in picking this site with the Department. The right site will be picked and developed.
As I have said, we appraise the demographics of all these areas and prioritise schools according to urgency. That is how we have corrected the approach to urgency in providing spaces for children who want to attend primary school. The mess was left behind by other Administrations but we have corrected it. We now have a proper way of doing the planning element. It might be a little slow in the early stages but we eventually catch up when the right site is picked.
It is going nowhere.
