Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 November 2023
74. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education when her Department expects to complete the assessment of the additional accommodation scheme application from a school (details supplied); what steps she can take to ensure the additional accommodation is promptly delivered; and what steps she can take to ensure the return to use of the hall as a community space. [52938/23]
View answerDeputy Neasa Hourigan will take this question.
First, I thank the Minister for her earlier comments in which she clearly differentiated the perpetrator of the tragic incident last week on Parnell Square from those who inhabit the streets of my constituency, Dublin-Central. There is an increasing appetite for scapegoating people in addiction or who are forced to live on the street, often due to the failures of us in this House, and to link those two things. I reject that completely so I thank the Minister. The Department is focused on expediting the Dominick Street site for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire and I thank the Minister for that.
On the assessment of the additional accommodation scheme application for the Corpus Christi Girls National School, what steps is the Minister taking to ensure the additional accommodation is promptly delivered and, in particular, to ensure the use of the hall as a community space?
Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested in the region of €3.5 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of more than 690 school building projects. Construction is currently under way on more than 300 building and other projects. School building projects at construction stage involve an overall State investment of more than €1.2 billion. We also have 200 modular accommodation projects that are well advanced for delivery or at construction stage. This is a record level of investment in our schools and highlights the Government’s strong track record of delivery in providing additional capacity and modern facilities for our school communities. The main focus of the Department’s resources over the past decade and for the coming period is the provision of critical additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics.
I confirm to the Deputy that the Department is in receipt of an application under the additional school accommodation scheme from Corpus Christi Girls National School. The purpose of the additional school accommodation scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation. I am pleased to confirm that the application from Corpus Christi Girls National School has been assessed and has been approved to move to the next stage. The project involves reconfiguration of the existing school and parish hall to establish two special education classes, along with two mainstream classrooms, a special education tuition room and a universal access toilet. Additionally, a request from the school's patron for a change of status to co-educational with effect from the 2024-25 school year has been approved by the Department.
The parish is making the hall available to the school in question and, as such, any use of the hall as a community space is currently a matter for the parish. The hall will ultimately form part of the overall school property. In such circumstances, any use by the community in future will be a matter for the school’s board of management. In general, the priority use of school property will be for educational purposes. However, it is Department policy to support the use of school facilities for wider community usage where possible.
I thank the Minister for the two confirmations of those two important approvals. I take her point that community use is a matter for the parish, but what we are talking about today is how in use the building is. As the Minister will know, the hall closed in 2020, ostensibly for fire-safety reasons - there are some differing views on that - and there has been a hard fought local campaign, as the Minister outlined. It is good news, which we received this time last year, that the hall will be given to the school to allow for the special education needs classes. A year later, the classroom is still not in use. The Minister is aware of the urgency of the need and that the girls' school does not have a physical education, PE space either. We are looking for a sense of timelines and asking whether the project can be expedited. As the Minister will be aware, space is at a premium in the constituency. It is certainly hard to come by in that area. Anything that can be done to move the project along as fast as possible would be much appreciated.
I confirm the Deputy is correct, the building, which was the parish hall, has been closed since 2020. It will form part of the school going forward. Currently, whether it can be used by the community is a matter for the parish. When it becomes part of the school, it will be a matter for the board of management, but we have clear guidelines, which we consistently update. We recommend that facilities be made available to local communities. I am personally engaged in and supportive of that. The Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, is also engaged in ensuring school facilities, especially halls, be made available to the wider community.
It is the intention of the Department to progress this approved project through the project manager framework, which is designed to enable the accommodation to be provided as quickly as possible and help ease the administrative workload for school authorities in the management and delivery of projects.
I thank the Minister for that information . I know she met the group from the school and the area and has engaged with the issue. I welcome that and the further information about the project manager framework. We will monitor its progress with a view to ensuring it is done as urgently as possible.
It is positive that the project is approved and we are moving it towards the project manager framework. It is our intention to expedite it as quickly as possible for the benefit of the school community. Ultimately, decisions about the use of the hall going forward will then be a matter for the board of management of the school.
