Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 2 Mar 1983

Vol. 340 No. 8

Adjournment Debate. - Culleens School, Ballina.

Mr. Calleary

I thank the Chair for giving me permission to raise this very important matter on the Adjournment. As it is the first time I have faced the Minister across the House, I should like to congratulate her on her appointment as Minister for Education. I hope that during her period in office, whether it be long or short — and I hope it will be short — she will get the job fulfilment she expects to get from her position.

The matter I am raising refers to a small rural national school situated approximately two miles from Ballina. It is a timber prefab building, possibly the only full prefab timber school in the country. It was started in 1967, when two rooms were built, and a further room was added in 1975. It was constructed on a very damp site, despite the best efforts of the parents, who have put in a considerable amount of time and money during the years in an effort to make the ground and building suitable as a premises in which to educate their children.

The parents are angry, frustrated and annoyed at the delay in completing the school or in getting information regarding the present position. There was a meeting last Monday night and the parents decided reluctantly, after a long discussion, to withdraw their children from the school until they get some definite information on the situation. They were influenced in this decision by the fact that one of the parents discovered that the roof of the building is no longer safe. They are going to put struts on the roof to make certain it does not fall in while classes are going on.

This building actually creaks when there is a strong wind. The INTO have found the building to be substandard. Toilets are completely inadequate and Rentokil are at the school on a regular basis because the whole area is infested with rats. It is a common sight for teachers to have to bury dead rats. There has also been an outbreak of gastro-enteritis in the school. I am asking the Minister, although I know she has a very full schedule, to meet the parents to reassure them as to what the present position of the school is and when it will be possible to have contract documents drawn up. I am asking the Minister to put pressure on the Board of Works to have these contract documents drawn up within ten to 12 weeks so that tenders can be invited at the end of June and work on the construction of the school could start at the end of October. I am asking her if she can give a guarantee that this will be done because the expertise is available in the Board of Works, especially since the decentralisation programme has been cancelled and there are a number of architectural teams in the Board of Works at present.

The parents are particularly incensed at the wrong information they got at the meeting on Monday night last. They were assured that the sketch plans had been prepared by the Board of Works and had been sent to the Department of Education, but inquiries made by me on Tuesday proved that this was not so. I do not know if the Minister has any up-to-date information. These sketch plans were to be forwarded to the Department of Education today and I do not know whether that was done. I am sure the Minister, as a parent, understands the anguish, fears and frustration that parents of children attending this very dilapidated school are experiencing. I am sure she will also understand their annoyance. If she has the political will, she can pressurise the Board of Works to put the expertise that is available to work so that building on this school can start this year. I would be grateful if she would meet the parents so that she could assure them that work will go ahead as quickly as possible. I would like to thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for giving me the opportunity of raising this matter.

Minister for Education (Mrs. Hussey)

I am surprised that Deputy Calleary wished to raise the matter of Culleens national school on the Adjournment. I know that the Deputy has given careful attention to this problem and that he is very well aware of the background attending the replacement of this school. The need for its replacement was considered in the early sixties. At that stage there was a question of replacing three schools, one of which was Culleens, with a central school. It was considered that this would take some time to bring about so it was decided in 1966 to replace the old Culleens national school with a two-roomed prefabricated unit. A further prefabricated room was added in 1973 for use as a general purposes room, but this became a classroom in 1978 when a third teacher was appointed. Culleens school is on the outskirts of Ballina and the question of its replacement had to have regard to the future development of Ballina in the Culleens direction. Following the receipt of reports from the Inspector, the Department agreed to the replacement of the prefabricated schools by a permanent building in 1979 and the chairman of the board of management was informed of this decision on 26 June 1979 With the minimum of delay, the chairman responded by offering three sites for consideration on 23 August 1979. From that date until 25 November 1982 there was a protracted dispute involving various local interests, as I am sure the Deputy is aware, about the site. There were problems encountered by the reverend chairman and the local parents.

On 25 November 1982 the reverend chairman advised the Department that he had completed the purchase of the approved site. Sketch plans have been completed by the Commissioners of Public Works. They are on their way to my Department and I can assure the Deputy that I will do everything in my power to have those sketch plans urgently cleared and approved by my Department. The Deputy, being an engineer, will understand that you cannot plan a school until you know where you are going to build it and that various planning and other stages are required before a school can be brought to a point where construction work may commence. I am glad to say that the question of a site has been resolved at local level. There is nothing to prevent this project from making normal progress towards completion. I again assure the Deputy that all urgency will be insisted upon at my level in the matter.

I am advised that parents have kept their children at home in protest at an alleged long delay between offering of a site and preparations for plans. Now that I have made the facts quite clear, I trust they will be aware that there has been no undue delay on our part and that they will return their children to school because I am sure that the parents of County Mayo are very sensible and responsible and will do that.

The Dáil adjourned at 9 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 3 March 1983.