I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and his office for permitting me to raise the urgent matter of the vandalism at St. Anne's primary school at Fettercairn in my constituency where local parents and teachers fear for the scale of damage that may be caused to the school over the summer months if it is not secured against the depredations of local youths.
Damage costing €32,000 has already been incurred in the year so far and the school has been broken into on three separate occasions even since a public meeting to address the issue was held on 21 June. Valuable school property is at risk and the capacity of local gardaí to protect the school is very limited. Windows and doors have been broken, rooms trashed, classrooms flooded and there has been damage to the inadequate perimeter fencing. For whatever reason, the school has become the target of a small number of local youths who are out of control.
The campus also accommodates an Obair office, two community pre-schools, one VEC office for adult education and a computer room. A report prepared by the local Garda has led to a proposal put to the Department of Education and Science for the installation of steel shuttering on the inside of windows at a cost of €80,000.
Unfortunately, the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, responded to me on 25 June stating, "As the funding available under the 2004 summer works scheme has now been allocated, it is not possible to consider this application in the current year." Teachers and parents fear that this leaves the school very vulnerable. Given the three break-ins since 21 June, the likelihood is that significant damage will be done to the school in the interim. Accordingly, I am pleading with the Minister of State to authorise the works recommended by the board of management.
I accept that this phenomenon of anti-social activity is a complex one and that there is a role for other agencies, especially the Garda Síochána. However, the failure of this Government over seven years to implement the 1997 decision to afford divisional status to Tallaght Garda station, which would have brought additional manpower, vehicles and extra resources, means that Fettercairn cannot be adequately policed.
The destruction of classrooms is regrettably a phenomenon not restricted to Fettercairn. For example, Scoil Santáin in my constituency has endured similar destruction while awaiting refurbishment. A roof has been repeatedly damaged, windows kicked in, a boiler damaged and most recently, an electric cable ripped down and recklessly left lying around as a hazard to schoolchildren. Such wanton destruction is costing the taxpayer a lot of money. These schools must be secured through adequate perimeter fencing, shuttered windows and, where feasible, contract security to be hired in for the most critical hours. Where, as in the case of Scoil Santáin, refurbishment has been approved in principle, it should be authorised to be carried out without further delay.
I sincerely hope the Minister of State will not reiterate the sentiments in the letter sent to me last week. Parents and teachers are generally fearful that serious damage costing tens of thousands of euro will be the result if the school is not secured. It gives an indication of how grave the situation is that neither the teachers nor the parents think the employment of a local man in some kind of community employment scheme to provide security is acceptable. They believe he would be at risk from those local youths.
I suggest it would be possible for the Department to authorise the contracting in for the critical hours of a contract security service. Otherwise, the cost of the damage which will ultimately be charged to the taxpayer, will greatly exceed what is proposed by the school principal in a submission to the Department. I ask the Minister of State to give us some hope this evening.
