Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 May 2018
48. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to fast-track the introduction of more classes and places for children with special needs in north County Dublin, particularly in the Skerries area, in which the provision at a facility (details supplied) is inadequate to deal with the emerging needs of the local community. [22397/18]
View answerThe purpose of this question is twofold. First, there is an overall shortage of spaces for special needs education, particularly spaces for autistic children in the Skerries area in north Dublin. Second, residents are particularly keen to know where the new premises for St. Michael's House will be. This has been long promised but has been kicked to touch between the council and the Department. It is just not good enough.
I thank Deputy Daly. She has a question tabled on St. Michael's House special school in Skerries. There is a project to deliver a new building at St. Michael's House. It will provide a new 14-classroom school, expandable to 16 classrooms, which will potentially increase its capacity from 30 students to 96. A potential site has now been identified after initial efforts were unsuccessful. A site acquisition process is now under way.
We intend to establish this coming September 17 new special classes in County Dublin. I do not have the details on where they will be but I understand some will be in the area the Deputy is concerned about. The NCSE is working with communities on expansion.
To give the Deputy a measure of the progress, there were 66 special classes in 2011 and there are now 178. We are adding another 17 to that. We are making very significant progress on expanding provision in this area. A meeting with parents was organised to discuss the needs and to make sure our plans take those needs into account.
The Minister's colleague Senator James Reilly has raised this issue in the Seanad. I will not repeat the points made on the overall shortage of places. Residents in the area in question, who have organised into a group, as the Minister correctly stated, have identified at least 12 children from Skerries alone in need of places at national school level. Only six may have places, with September almost on the horizon. It is a particular concern.
My main concern today, however, is that the report the Minister has given me on St. Michael's House has been given on numerous occasions previously. I am not blaming the Minister for that but the reality is that the site acquisition process has long been completed in the sense that Fingal County Council has said it proceeded as far as it can go. It has the site, it has completed all the negotiations and it states this issue is blocked — it is blocked — at the level of the technical assessors in the Department. We have been getting this report for over a year. The children in question are in school in an old farmhouse. They have been in it for over 15 years. The farmhouse would not even pass modern health and safety standards. Those concerned really need to know what is causing problems for the technical assessors and when the assessment is likely to be concluded. The council tells us this is the only thing standing in the way of the school finally being delivered.
I will have to get back to the Deputy with details. It states in my documentation that the Department is committed to providing a permanent accommodation solution for the school and that a project to deliver the new school on a greenfield site has been included in the six-year programme. It is stated a site acquisition process is currently under way. This sounds like there are no technical problems with the site. A potential permanent site option has been identified as being progressed. It does not sound like there are technical flaws. There may be commercial issues to be worked out in the acquisition process but it does not sound like there are problems with the site. I will, however, revert to the Deputy in case this information is not accurate.
The technical issues were highlighted in a response from the Department to me and other Deputies from the area previously. Subsequently, I got back on to Fingal County Council and believed the blame was at its door. I was led to believe the technical problems with acquisition were mainly associated with the council but I received a communication from it yesterday to assure me it has taken this process as far as it can go. It has done everything. The council states the acquisition of the site and dealings with the landowner have been completed and that the matter is with the technical assessors in the Minister's Department. I would be really grateful if he could come back to me on this. Some of his party colleagues, and probably all the Deputies in the area, have been in touch on this. Collectively, we really want this project delivered as soon as possible. The site has been pinpointed for a very long time. It is shameful if the project is being kicked between the council and the Department and getting nowhere. We would be very grateful if the Minister could revert to us as soon as possible.
My response states negotiations with the relevant landowner are currently at an advanced stage. With regard to timing, it is stated that, assuming agreement on terms is reached, issues may arise at conveyancing stage and that these will have to be addressed satisfactorily. That is the normal protection included. It is stated there are some clarifications required on technical issues associated with the development of the site, and the assessment process is nearing completion. It does not sound like it is holding up the negotiation or the reaching of terms. There is obviously clarification required. I will revert to the Deputy on this. It is anticipated that the conveyancing process can be advanced by respective solicitors. There seems to be considerable optimism.
The deferred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.
