I wish to share my time with Senator Kitt.
Adjournment Debate.
Hospitals Building Programme.
Is that agreed? Agreed.
I wish to highlight the need for the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, to indicate her Department's plans for the Bon Secours hospital, formerly the Grove Hospital, in Tuam. It was purchased by the Western Health Board over five years ago and is now lying abandoned. Will she indicate whether plans submitted by the health board have been approved by her Department?
The Western Health Board bought the property when the Bon Secours group decided to pull out of Tuam. It was a fine hospital and provided wonderful service to the people of Tuam, north Galway, south Mayo and north-west Roscommon. When this issue arose, there was a clear indication that the health board, in conjunction with the then Minister, Deputy Martin, would proceed quickly to revamp and re-plan the facility in Tuam as a community hospital. The health board, of which I was a member, met the Minister in this regard, after which he bought facilities. The Bon Secours facility was closed down immediately and chains were put on the gate. The building is semi-derelict today despite the wonderful plans of the health board to remove the present structure, re-plan the site and provide other community facilities.
The local action group on various occasions, as Senator Kitt knows, said it was a pity the facilities there could not be used for out-patients, clinics and related services. That has not been done. The upkeep and maintenance by the health board must be a sizeable contract for somebody. My greatest fear is that the decision and announcement of the Minister for Health and Children will be to investigate all property and lands owned by the health board with a view to selling off any that are surplus to requirement. The Minister has failed to develop the property or give any indication that it will be developed despite the Taoiseach's visit before the election when he announced there would be a hospital in Tuam within one year of that visit. That has not happened several years down the line from that promise.
I hope to hear an answer from the Minister tonight to the effect that the extensive and wonderful plans the health board submitted to the Department will be approved and that she will indicate that whatever properties the health board and the Department have in County Galway, particularly in Tuam, are not for sale but will be developed very soon. We know of the serious shortage in the community of bed capacity and the other services provided by the private hospital in the past. The action group that requested this worked supportively with the town council, the Western Health Board and the public representatives to ensure that the Minister would purchase it on the day, as he did. That was widely welcomed and the plans were submitted to the Department but I cannot find out what has happened to them, or whether they are being accepted.
I thank Senator Ulick Burke for sharing his time. I was delighted when the former Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, announced he was purchasing the old Bon Secours Hospital and surrounding grounds in Tuam. It was a very particular project for the Western Health Board of which Senator Ulick Burke and I were members at the time. We fought very hard to have this property taken over and for a hospital to be built in Tuam. The application was sent to the Department in September 2002, over two years ago so we expected that we would have received an answer by now.
Many of the scares about this property were sparked when we heard reports that some of the Merlin Park lands in Galway of which the Minister is aware were to be sold. Whatever about the merits or demerits of that proposal, I could never understand the proposals to sell the lands and the hospital in Tuam, formerly the Bon Secours Hospital or "The Grove" as it is known locally.
I hope the Minister will tell us that the Department is proceeding to develop those lands. If the Hanly report means anything for community hospitals — and it is not always popular to talk about it — surely it means that Tuam would be an ideal centre for a hospital as it has the required population of over 30,000, being the catchment area of north Galway and south Mayo. This is why I strongly support the idea of the hospital. I was born in that hospital and have often said I do not want it to be the political death of me. I do not want it to go down in history as something that causes us all political grief. There is a strong desire in the community to see that hospital continue in the town of Tuam.
Following the closure by the Bon Secours Order of "The Grove" hospital in Tuam, the Western Health Board, which is responsible, in the first instance, for the provision of health services in the Tuam area, decided to build a new 50-bed community hospital on the grounds and adjoining land to replace the existing facility. This new hospital will comprise a mix of up to 30 beds for continuing care with the remaining beds made up of direct access beds, rehabilitation, convalescent, respite and palliative care beds. In line with what is generally provided in the board's district hospitals, the service will have a significant mix of multidisciplinary staff, including medical, nursing, nursing support, paramedical, as well as other complementary therapists. Coupled with this, the board envisages the Tuam hospital functioning as the hub of a comprehensive outreach service, providing homecare programmes, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, chiropody, home nursing, home help, as well as other flexible packages of care. These specialist care services will, of course, be supported by social support services such as community welfare and home advisory programmes. Further advice is being sought on the possibility of using the hospital for other health-related facilities.
The Government has made services for older people a priority and is fully committed to the development of a comprehensive health service which is capable of responding quickly, fully and effectively to the health service needs of older people. In recent years, health and social services for older people have improved, both in hospitals and in the community. Since coming into office, this Government has substantially increased the level of funding, both capital and revenue, in respect of services for older people. For example, the amount of additional revenue funding has increased from €12.7 million in 1997, to €100 million in 2003 with a further €9.5 million being allocated this year. This figure is being increased to over €15 million for 2005. This serves to demonstrate the Government's ongoing commitment to improving services for our older population.
Significant capital funding for the health sector has been provided since the commencement of the national development plan in 2000. Total expenditure for the years 2000-03 was approximately €1.7 billion. Considerable progress has been made in addressing the historical deficits in health infrastructure and improving the standards of facilities required for quality modern patient care. The national development plan provides considerable capital funding to services for older people. On a national basis, this will enable a comprehensive infrastructure of community nursing units and day care facilities to be put in place as well as the refurbishment of existing extended care facilities and the replacement of old workhouse-type accommodation. Older people deserve first class facilities and we intend to provide such facilities in appropriate locations.
The Department of Health and Children is examining the health capital programme for 2004 and beyond to ascertain what new projects can be progressed through either planning or construction stages, taking account of existing commitments and overall funding resources available. In this context my Department will continue to liaise with the Western Health Board regarding the proposed development in Tuam in the light of the board's overall capital funding priorities.
What does all that mean? It is the same response.
Schools Building Projects.
I wish to share my time with Senator Ulick Burke. This issue concerns Cahergal national school near Tuam, County Galway. Before the last general election several schools in north Galway sought improvements and some wanted new developments. Under the pilot or devolved programme many of those schools and their boards of management have had their wishes fulfilled and work is in progress in several areas such as Briarfield, Newtown and Barnaderg national school.
Cahergal national school has had a serious problem because of increased numbers and the board of management cannot proceed with the devolved programme until it gets extra lands. Land is available beside the school which would be very suitable for purchase and development. The school enrolment has increased over recent years and the figures for next year also show an increase as the school is near Tuam and many students from the greater catchment area are travelling there. It has an excellent staff but sadly the buildings are not in good condition. We have had several meetings there and we were hopeful when the devolved programme came about that this school would qualify. It qualified, but it is a catch-22 situation in that they need land for further development. I hope that the Minister can set the record straight here in the House regarding the acquisition of those lands and allow the devolved programme or pilot scheme to continue.
I thank Senator Kitt for sharing time with me. I wholeheartedly support his proposal. I raised this issue approximately two years ago, and Senator Kitt shared time with me on that occasion too.
This time around, it is important to highlight the fact that, in previous years, when anything was attempted regarding an upgrade of the school at Cahergal, the expansion of the site was the stumbling block. On this occasion, the land is available, and it is of the utmost importance that the Department move quickly to take that on board, acquire the land and move on to the next stage. It will never happen unless additional land is bought for expansion.
The site, as Senator Kitt has said, is overcrowded, cluttered and dangerous because of the numbers of students, the criss-crossing between prefabs and the only open recreational area available to the pupils. The board of management, principal, staff and parents' groups have made a tremendous effort to move the matter on. On various occasions, they thought they were near to a solution and, on one occasion, thought they would move to a new greenfield site. However, the Department said the best strategy was to expand on site.
Now that the opportunity to do so has presented itself, it is of the utmost importance that the Department moves quickly, purchases the land and carries out the necessary expansion work to the school which is under tremendous pressure as the area is one of increasing population and pupil intake. That is likely to continue because of the expansion of Galway city into the area. It is a new growth centre if ever there was one, and there is a great need for school places. Many of the facilities that other schools have are denied the pupils of the area, such as computer rooms, general purpose rooms, and the other support mechanism spaces required in modern education. It is important that the Minister impresses on his colleague the importance of moving quickly to acquire the site.
I thank the Senator for affording me the opportunity to outline to the House the proposals of the Department of Education and Science regarding the proposed development at Cahergal national school, Tuam, County Galway.
The board of management of Cahergal national school, Tuam, applied to the Department of Education and Science for the provision of four new classrooms to replace existing facilities. In view of the prospective difficulties in providing an optimum range of accommodation in the context of the current site, which measures 0.5 acres, the board of management was requested to explore the possibility of procuring additional land adjacent to the existing site for the purpose of facilitating an extension.
In March 2000, the school authorities confirmed that none of the surrounding lands was available for sale and formally applied for the provision of a new school on a greenfield site. Following a meeting between representatives of Cahergal national school and the Department of Education and Science, the property management section of the Office of Public Works, which acts on behalf of the Department for site acquisitions, was requested to investigate the possibility of acquiring a site for the school. I understand that a suitable site has now been identified and that negotiations are at an advanced stage.
The school authorities have also decided to partake in the Department's small schools initiative, which allows small primary schools to undertake building and modernisation works on a devolved basis. I thank the Senator once again for raising this matter in the House.
I would like to raise an issue regarding Scoil Mhuire in Dristernan. Looking at the name of the place, one would be tempted to pronounce it with the stress on the second vowel, but the proper pronunciation near Gleneely in north Inishowen rhymes with "Tristran". This issue was brought to my attention by a colleague of mine, Councillor Bernard McGuinness of north Inishowen.
He is a fine councillor.
I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and concur with his remark. The councillor is certainly working on the ground and knows the local issues, one of which is this national school which has sought very basic improvements to the standards of facilities and infrastructure for the past 20 years. To be honest, the board of management and staff may have sat back, waited and hoped that it would happen eventually but, 20 years later, their dissatisfaction, frustration and anger have become intolerable. The infrastructural deficits include the following: children falling on damp and slippery floors; teachers complaining of inadequate toilet facilities; the lack of a proper staff room; a small, poky cold toilet shared by eight adults; no space in the small, poky staff room; and little storage space. If there is supposed to be an emphasis on exercise and health, it is not there in this case.
I will not delay the Minister much further regarding this very simple issue. The staff and board of management of the school have been waiting too long. I know that this is not the Minister's brief, but I know that he will be conveying my concerns to the Minister for Education and Science. The procrastination at a departmental level is unbelievable. The matter has been passed from pillar to post. It has been promised and approved. The extension has had planning permission for the past three years, but now the school has been asked to review the planning application and make changes. Funding was approved and granted in 1999, but the school is still on the bottom rung of the ladder.
As I said, the school is in a small, rural area in north Inishowen. The people who live there believe in rural communities and the rural way of life. It is possible that they do not shout loudly enough, and perhaps the matter should be highlighted here. I know of many schools that have waited three, four, five or six years, but this school has waited 20 years. For justice to be served, the matter must be addressed. The issue that always crops up is the Department of Education and Science. The waiting game whereby building programmes are put on the long finger must be seriously addressed.
On behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, I thank the Senator for affording me the opportunity to outline to this House the proposals of his Department regarding the proposed refurbishment and extension project at Scoil Mhuire national school, Dristernan, Gleneely, Inishowen, County Donegal.
The school authorities applied to the Department for the provision of an extension and the refurbishment of the existing building. I am pleased to inform the Senator that a full design team has been appointed and the architectural planning process has commenced. The introduction of a multi-annual funding process for school building projects requires a revised approach to how projects are scheduled through the design process and on to tender and construction. To maintain a smooth flow of projects and ensure that the optimum number of projects is ready to go to tender and construction at any given time, the Department of Education and Science will progress on a priority basis those projects at an early design stage such as Scoil Mhuire. The Department will provide further details of those projects and notify the schools concerned in the new year. In this way, the Department seeks to create sustained momentum in the schools building programme to match the Government's multi-annual funding commitment.
I thank the Senator once again for raising the matter in the House.
The Seanad adjourned at 8.40 p.m. until10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 16 December 2004.