I will be brief in outlining this very serious issue. I welcome my good friend the Minister of State back to the House.
Schools Building Projects.
I had a little lapse for a few weeks.
Perhaps I had a simultaneous lapse.
Will the Minister of State outline the funding and resources which will be provided to make Cregmore national school, Cregmore, County Galway, a safer location following the horrific accident that occurred there three weeks ago when an articulated truck ploughed through the perimeter wall of the school as the pupils were leaving? I saw the closed circuit camera footage of the incident and it was unbelievable. The driver of the articulated truck lost control because another car went through the crossroads and the truck tore into 11 vehicles as the children were leaving school. A two year old child was strapped into one vehicle which was sent through the fields. It is a miracle that the child is okay. Simultaneously, 50 infants were being released from the school. Only for the quick thinking and action of parents and teachers, there could have been carnage.
The difficulty is that the school is located at a crossroads. There were two other accidents prior to this in which vehicles came through the perimeter wall, but because there was no demolition of vehicles they remained under the radar. Now it is a very serious situation.
The second part of my question is this. On the night of the accident, because it made the "Six One News", the office of the Tánaiste and Minister, Deputy Coughlan, telephoned the principal to say the Department would do whatever was needed, and I am about to tell the Minister of State what is needed.
I spoke today to the principal of the school, Mr. Joe Kennelly, with whom I spent an hour and a half approximately two weeks ago looking at the CCTV footage. He has moved very quickly on this, further to the call from the Minister's office.
As it happens, a planning application was submitted to build a new school gym and sports hall. After getting health and safety advice and expertise, the school has been told that the teachers' cars need to be taken away from the drop-off area where parents would normally pick up their children because that is accounting for up to 24 spaces. Moving the teachers' cars away from that location will enable traffic to flow more freely. Therefore, the school has been asked to move the hall back, which means it needs to purchase more land, and there is the building of two classrooms, a new percolation area and a new car park for the teachers' cars, including the realignment of walls. The total bill will come to €152,000 to make this a safe location.
That application was sent by Swiftpost to the Department of Education and Skills in Tullamore on Monday last and I hope the Minister of State has up-to-date news for me. Matters move quickly in the Department.
There is a very active parents' association and board of management in the school. If any of our children were in that school, we would want action taken. This is the third time there has been an accident at the location. There are obvious engineering difficulties. Galway County Council has moved to rebuild the wall, re-lay the tarmac and make it look like there was not an accident, but that is not a sustainable solution. I look forward to hearing the Minister of State's reply.
I am also taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Coughlan. I thank Senator Healy Eames for raising this matter as it gives me an opportunity of outlining to the House the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects, in particular the Department's position regarding the upgrading of facilities in Cregmore national school, County Galway.
Modernising facilities in the existing building stock as well as the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth is a significant challenge. The Government has shown a consistent determination to improve the condition of school buildings and to ensure appropriate facilities are in place to enable the implementation of a broad and balanced curriculum. The 2010 capital allocation for the primary and post-primary sectors is €579 million, and this sum will facilitate the delivery of the school building programme through a range of projects and schemes.
On 16 February, the then Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, announced the 2010 large-scale school building programme. A total of 52 school projects — 37 primary and 15 post-primary — are to advance to tender and construction later this year and in 2011. A total of 51 school building projects — 44 primary and seven post-primary — are expected to appoint design teams this year. Approval was given for seven new primary schools to open in September 2010 in rapidly developing areas. Arising from earlier school building programme announcements, 30 large scale projects — 23 primary and seven post-primary — are under construction at present. A total of 27 large scale projects — 19 primary and eight post-primary — are due to commence construction during the first half of the year with a further 14 projects — ten primary and four post-primary — due to go on site as soon as possible. Payments will issue on fees for other projects in architectural planning. Depending on the rate of progress of the various projects in the programme, adjustments may be made throughout 2010. These adjustments may arise in the context of the ongoing monitoring of the programme undertaken by the Department in the normal course of events.
The Tánaiste and Minister, Deputy Coughlan, announced the successful applicants for the 2010 summer works scheme last month. A total of €122 million will see major improvement works carried out in 1,490 primary and post-primary schools. The summer works scheme covers projects in school buildings such as gas, electrical and mechanical works, roof replacement and repairs, window replacement, toilet upgrades, structural improvements and access works. This record level of investment through the summer works scheme has the potential to generate work for in excess of 4,400 construction workers during the summer period. The projects approved under the summer works scheme have been assessed as priority projects by the individual schools themselves and the capacity of schools to take responsibility for delivering small and medium-scale projects is a key component of the summer works scheme. That is just some background information for the Senator.
Now the answer begins.
Cregmore national school has a current staffing level of a principal and eight mainstream teachers. The school also has the services of two learning support-resource teachers. For the 2009-10 school year, the school has an enrolment of 220 pupils.
In 1999 Cregmore national school applied to the Department for extension and refurbishment works at the school. In 2004, the school management authorities were offered a grant of €200,000 to provide two additional classrooms, which they accepted. In 2005, owing to increasing enrolments, it was deemed necessary to provide four new classrooms and the grant aid previously approved was increased to €400,000. A new pick-up and drop-off area and car parking were also provided at the time. In January 2009, the school was sanctioned an all-in grant of €100,000 to provide an additional mainstream classroom and, in March of this year, the school received a further sanction of €30,000 to provide a new resource room at the school. The school has also been allocated €12,287 under the 2010 summer works scheme for a window upgrade.
The Minister, as Senator Healy Eames confirmed, spoke to the school principal shortly after the crash and is thankful that no one was killed or seriously injured. Following the Minister's telephone call to the school, officials have been in contact with the school principal and have discussed the option open to the school management authorities to repair damage done as a result of this accident.
An application was received for works to the school yesterday, Tuesday — it took a day to arrive in the post — and this is being assessed. The Department has also advised the principal that the school may apply under the Department's emergency works scheme to have improvement works carried out within the confines of the school site to make it a safer environment for pupils and teachers.
I thank the Senator again for giving me the opportunity of outlining to the House the assistance available to Cregmore national school, County Galway, following the recent road traffic accident at the school. We will certainly continue to assist the school in its endeavours.
I thank the Minister of State for his response. I appreciate that he acknowledged that the Department received the application and is assessing it. What is the maximum amount of funding available under the Department's emergency works scheme? As this is a developing and rapidly growing area, with respect, there is more than repair needed. The health and safety expertise have now confirmed that new land is required to make the school safe. Will Cregmore national school be granted priority treatment for funding given the threat to life at this location? Will it be given a band 1 rating?
The Department would be reluctant to give out figures on the emergency works scheme owing to tendering issues. There is not a policy of giving out the figures involved. I assume the school will make an application under the emergency works scheme.
I cannot confirm that. The application has been made for €154,000.
That application was only received yesterday and is being assessed. I will mention to the Tánaiste the concerns Senator Healy Eames raised. The school has been advised as well that it could make an application under the emergency works scheme and we will see how that evolves.