I have applied pressure with regard to this matter for the past two weeks because there is an urgent need at St. Colmcille's national school for this extension. The school was built in 1992 to cater for 150 pupils and it now has almost 200. A further increase in enrolment is expected this September which will lead to severe overcrowding. The area in Westport served by this school is a large one with a mix of urban and rural in which there has been a great deal of development in recent years. The population in the area will increase because of the new housing.
The school applied for the extension in October 1999 and there has been little progress to date. An architect from the Department of Education and Science visited the school but there is no great sense of urgency. I appeal to the Minister and his officials to deal with this as quickly as possible because there is a serious overcrowding problem. This is an excellent school run by an excellent principal with excellent teachers and an excellent board of management. They are all deeply concerned about the overcrowding in the school, and some of the facilities, including the assembly hall and even the princi pal's office, are being used for children with special needs. This is not a satisfactory situation.
Will the Minister ask his officials to treat this as an emergency? I would like to see the extension put in place before next September when new pupils will be enrolled because, if it is not, it will lead to greater overcrowding. The school has an excellent staff working in difficult circumstances. Will the Minister have his officials give this matter their full attention to deal with it as a matter of urgency? It was common to say funding was not available, but now we listen daily to stories of all the funding coming into the Minister's coffers from taxpayers. There is no shortage of money. I appeal to the Minister to sanction the extension and progress the stages. Too many stages are involved in the sanctioning and building of school extensions. They are a stalling tactic. I want all the stops to be pulled out by the Department. Will the Minister direct his officials to take a number of steps together to try to have the extension in place next September?
