Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 23 Jun 1992

Vol. 421 No. 4

Adjournment Debate. - Ballyclough (Cork) National School.

Mr. Sherlock

I appreciate the opportunity to make a case on behalf of the pupils, teachers and parents at Ballyclough. Unlike a number of other national schools in my constituency whose problems arise mainly from the age of the school, Ballyclough national school is a relatively new building, having been constructed in 1981. The demands on space in the school were seriously underestimated and the result is that 35 small children are being accommodated in a small partitioned area in grossly overcrowded conditions. This is unfair to both the teachers and the children. Parents and teachers have been concerned about the position for some time and have been pressing for action to relieve it.

The former Minister for Education, Deputy O'Rourke, advised the committee to proceed with the planning of an extension. Plans, specifications and bills of quantities were prepared and the total cost was estimated at £33,000, of which the local community were to raise £7,000. The community set about raising the money and have reached their target. The Department of Education advised the board of management to invite tenders for the extension. A number of tenders were received and one was accepted by the Department. However, instead of giving the board the normal sanction to sign the contract, somebody in the Department of Education decided that the project should not go ahead and the whole process has ground to a halt.

Parents in Ballyclough are mystified as to why the sudden decision was made to call a halt to the project when so much preparatory work had been done. They want to know who in the Department of Education made that decision and why. They are angry that the small children of Ballyclough will have to continue to endure grossly overcrowded and unsuitable conditions. Overcrowded conditions make the task of teachers and pupils much more difficult. Poor conditions can often, despite the best efforts of teachers, inhibit the educational development of children.

I appeal to the Minister to reverse the decision to block the project and allow it to go ahead without further delay. The local community have played their part by raising their share of the money. The Department should now do their job. The amount of money involved is tiny when compared with a total budget for primary education of £540 million in 1992. I appeal to the Minister to give sanction and to allow the board of management to sign the contract for the extension.

Minister for Education (Mr. S. Brennan)

I am glad the Deputy has given me the opportunity of outlining my Department's intention in relation to the proposed extension to Ballyclough national school, County Cork.

The present accommodation at this school consists of four classrooms and a general purposes room, which was completed in 1986. I agree that conditions are less than satisfactory, from the point of view of accommodation, in view of the fact that the staffing now consists of a principal and five assistant teachers. It was in response to this situation that in July 1991 my Department approved a grant towards the cost of a prefabricated classroom. However, the school authorities subsequently said they wished to use the available grant-aid for this classroom to part grant-aid the erection of a permanent classroom extension, and my Department readily agreed to this.

As the Deputy is aware, the school authorities met the former Minister, Deputy O'Rourke, who agreed to grant-aid the full cost of the permanent classroom at the standard rate and the Department's architectural staff prepared plans for the proposed extension.

Local authority planning permission was granted in October 1991, and in 1991 my Department approved the invitation of tenders for the project. These were invited and received in January 1992.

The Deputy will appreciate that the whole process of architectural planning, securing of planning permissions, invitation of tenders and their examination is necessarily time consuming. There is also the important factor that there is a large number of primary schools projects on hands, and each individual school makes the case to my Department that their situation is worthy of priority.

The present position is that tenders have now been examined and the question of the placing of a contract arises for consideration in the context of the available capital resources. It was not possible to include the project in the expenditure programme which has been approved for 1992 because of other commitments and demands, but I can assure the Deputy that the position will be kept under review during the course of the year in the light of experience with ongoing commitments.