Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 October 2015
134. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to address the substandard accommodation at a school (details supplied) in County Cork; if her Department plans to consolidate the infant school within the same site as the remainder of the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33942/15]
View answerI would like to raise an issue relating to a boys national school, Scoil Mhuire Lourdes, in Carrigaline. I acknowledge that there has been and is going to be a great deal of further investment in the education network in Carrigaline. Scoil Mhuire Lourdes, which is one of the oldest schools in Carrigaline, is split across two campuses. The junior and senior infant classes are on one site in Carrigaline and the rest of the school is on a different site at Ballea Road in the town. The main issue is that the quality of the accommodation is now seriously substandard. A great deal of patch work has been done in recent years. Money has been invested in that work. The school authorities want the school to be consolidated on a single site. I ask the Government to prioritise this project. I look forward to hearing what the Minister of State has to say.
The school referred to by the Deputy is situated on a split campus, with the senior school sharing a campus with another primary school. The school was approved funding under the prefab replacement scheme in 2012, but this funding has not been drawn down. The school authorities submitted an alternative proposal that involved the provision of all the proposed replacement accommodation on the senior school site, thereby rationalising provision from three sites to one. The Department advised the school authorities that it had no objection to their proposal and indicated that it was prepared to include a special needs provision to meet needs in the area. I want to make it clear that the school subsequently advised the Department that it was exploring amalgamation possibilities and the possible need for a new school building in that context. I now understand that the amalgamation option is not being proceeded with. The Department is engaging with the patron of both schools - it is the same patron for both schools - regarding how best to meet their long-term accommodation needs. My understanding is there has been a change of mind on the side of the schools and the Department is trying to determine exactly how it can make long-term provision in this case.
I thank the Minister of State. As he has said, the amalgamation option is now off the table because there has not been full agreement.
It is off the table.
The situation is unsatisfactory, not least because the school is based across two sites. Approximately 100 children between the ages of four and six are on one site. They cannot avail of many of the facilities on the second site because they cannot safely walk to that site. The school has opened a new ASD unit, which is on the site with the junior and senior infants. It is not ideal from the point of view of integrating those children into mainstream education. The most urgent aspect of this matter is the report the school has submitted to the Department raising serious health and safety concerns. In recent years, hundreds of thousands of euro have been spent doing patch work. The school has not drawn down the additional money for replacing prefabs because that is not a proper solution. The amalgamation is now off the table. The school authorities want the school to be on a single site. That should be the desired outcome from the Department's point of view. The Government is spending a great deal of money on a major education campus in Carrigaline involving a new Educate Together school and so forth. That is to be welcomed, but this school needs attention because the current situation is dangerous and is not the optimum situation for parents, staff and pupils.
The Deputy will appreciate that the Department has been very willing to work with what the schools wanted. Intentions have changed on a couple of occasions, which is grand and okay. The Department have been willing to facilitate that at all times. It stood back to allow time for the amalgamation to be developed, but that is not happening now. The facts have changed. I am glad the report is back in. The Department is now working on that basis and is happy to do so. It has tried at all times to cater for this. Money was provided for some solutions in 2012, but there was a change of mind. The Department is ready to work with a solution. I think everyone agrees that a single site would be ideal. The Department would agree with that as well. It is now a question of making it happen. That willingness exists on the Department's side. The matter now seems to be progressing from the school's side as well, which is helpful.
Can this project be considered as part of the forthcoming capital programme, which is due to be announced? The school authorities, board of management, parents and staff all want the school to be consolidated on a single site. The main site on the Ballea Road has the capacity to accommodate that. That is what those involved with the school want. That would include the new ASD classrooms that have been provided. There is great demand for those classrooms, which were badly needed. I know an announcement is due. I ask the Minister of State to examine urgently the case of Scoil Mhuire Lourdes in Carrigaline. I ask him to take a personal interest in the health and safety report that has been submitted, which includes photographs from a professional consultancy firm. It does not make for pretty reading.
Work is ongoing on the new construction plan. I wish I knew what is in it, but I do not. It would be useful for me to know. Every school is being looked at. The demographics are naturally most important when decisions are being made on ensuring accommodation is provided for those who need it. It is a question of meeting extra demand. The last five-year plan did quite well in matching supply to need. I think that has happened. The same logic will be applied to the next plan that will be announced. We hope that will happen in the coming months. The Minister has said that publicly and on the record. All schools, including the school highlighted by Deputy McGrath, are being looked at in that context. They will be prioritised appropriately to ensure the right decisions are made.
