Commencement Matters

Water and Sewerage Schemes Funding

Senator Michelle Mulherin

I warmly welcome last week's announcement of a block grant of €3.5 million to Mayo County Council under the multi-annual rural water programme. However, I am very disappointed that under measure 3, which makes specific provision for the funding of new rural group water schemes, we only got €25,000. I am also very disappointed that we are three quarters of the way through 2018 and Mayo County Council is only at this juncture being told what it can spend for 2018.

Under measure 3 Mayo County Council was given €25,000 for the Kilmurray group water scheme. The scheme needs €754,000 to get under way and be delivered. This is a saga that goes back to 2010 when Ceantair Laga Árd-Riachtanais, CLÁR, was abolished and people in Kilmurray had already done tremendous work in conjunction with the county council to bring forward a group water scheme. They had gone to the tender process and had spent almost €40,000 on consultants and to this day those people are out of pocket. They have not been refunded their money. They have been keeping a company going, paying fees to the Company Registration Office. They are all volunteers. People in Downpatrick and Furmoyle are also waiting for water.

We are talking about something that people living in towns and cities take for granted so much that they do not feel they should have to pay for it. They were more than willing to pay for their water. I estimate that approximately 200 households in rural Mayo are affected. There is also a problem in Galway. There have been national monitoring committees and engagement with the National Federation of Group Water Schemes to find a formula because people were told that under the formula applied, not enough money is given per household to deliver a scheme. We were told to go back to the drawing board and find a new formula to fund rural water. In 2016, the then Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, announced a three-year multi-annual programme starting then and running to 2018. Guess what? These three areas are still waiting. I acknowledge that Tonacrick, Killeen, Aghaloonteen and Massbrook have been dealt with. There are a couple of handfuls of houses in these areas. People are rightly cheesed off. They are out of pocket. They feel as though nobody has listened.

There is no parity of esteem between people living in rural Ireland and those in cities and towns. That is all I am asking for and I do not think it is reasonable or acceptable that three quarters of the way through the year, they are getting €25,000 for Kilmurray alone when €1.5 million is required. What will Kilmurray do with that funding? How can a council spend €25,000 at this time of year? It is ridiculous. Will the Minister of State go back to the officials in the Department and ask them to take the provision of new groups water schemes seriously?

I am not talking about clapped out water schemes that need to be upgraded. Elderly people and young families living in rural areas are drilling wells. They cannot drink the water or wash their clothes in it. Nobody would like to live like that yet that is how this group is living. There have been massive protests against water charges and there are people who did not engage in those who are prepared to pay for water. I am a public representative in the Government party and I do not think this is acceptable for 200 households in Mayo. Will somebody listen? Will the Minister of State listen today? Can some good news be given to these people? We are at the end of the three-year, multi-annual programme that the former Minister, Deputy Howlin, announced and where are we for these three groups? We are nowhere. This is not a countrywide problem but a problem that affects people in rural Ireland. I ask the Minister of State to please take it seriously.

Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (Deputy Damien English)

I thank the Senator for raising this matter which she has raised many times in recent years with me, the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, and the Department. She has constantly pushed to have money spent on water and sewerage schemes in County Mayo. This is very important work and I hope last week's announcements and further announcements in the weeks ahead will deliver the funding needed to realise these schemes. I know from speaking to the Senator and many others that the provision of water services for the people of County Mayo, particularly those in rural areas, is an issue of keen interest. I assure the Senator and the House that the Government shares this strong interest. The Minister strongly believes in finding the appropriate resources for rural water schemes. We want to ensure the people of rural Ireland are supported in accessing good quality water and wastewater services. This applies to the people of Mayo and every other county. The Government will continue to back up its intentions in this area with funding.

Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending the annual rural water services conference organised by the National Federation of Group Water Schemes, which took place in Claremorris in the Senator’s home county. I announced details of the funding being provided by the Government in 2018 under the Department’s multi-annual rural water programme. We have provided €20 million for 2018, which is an increase of €4 million from the €16 million committed in 2017. Last Friday, the Minister announced details of the allocations to individual local authorities and group water schemes for 2018. The multi-annual rural water programme, which runs for the period from 2016 to 2018, consists of six measures, including funding of new group water schemes under what is known as measure 3. While funding is provided through my Department, the administration and implementation of the rural water programme is the responsibility of local authorities, which work in partnership with group water schemes, and do a great job in that regard. I complimented that partnership in recent years when I spoke at the recent conference.

Progress has been sought on the proposed Downpatrick, Kilmurray and Furmoyle group water schemes for many years. I have no doubt that there is a long history with the schemes. In 2018, the Kilmurray group water scheme received an allocation of €25,000 under the rural water programme. This was among the allocations announced last week. It will enable the scheme to commence necessary planning and proceed to construction in due course. As the scheme is now approved in the current programme cycle, which ends this year, it should carry forward to the next programme cycle, which is to run from 2019 to 2021. I stress that the Kilmurray scheme has been approved and is now in the system. Funding is available to undertake the necessary construction works that will follow. It is now a matter for the scheme to proceed as quickly as possible. I have no doubt that the Senator will make sure this happens and will drive it on. Funding of €95 million will be available for the next three-year cycle of the scheme. This is a major increase which has been provided under Project 2040. It has been secured to drive success and improvement under the rural water scheme.

With regard to the Downpatrick group water scheme, in January 2016 Mayo County Council included a bid for the scheme. It was also submitted under measure 3 of the programme, which deals with new group water schemes. The proposal was ruled out at the time because it involved connecting a new scheme to the public water network operated by Irish Water. Such works are not within the scope of the programme as it currently stands. A further factor was the unit cost of some €18,750 per house, which was considered very expensive. Subsequent to the 2016 approvals, my Department engaged with Mayo County Council to see if an alternative at reduced cost could be found. However, no satisfactory alternative has been established to a supply off the public mains for the proposed scheme.

The multi-annual rural water programme is being reviewed. Having regard to the outcome of the review and decisions to be taken on measures to be included in the programme from 2019 to 2021, applications will be invited from local authorities in respect of funding for that period. These applications are to be sought later this year and there may be scope, in that context, for a further application to be made in respect of the Downpatrick group water scheme. The Minister ordered the review in April last and it is due to report to him in the next month. It will examine how best to ensure the money is spent in the years ahead to get results. It may make some new suggestions and provide an answer on how to address the issue with the Downpatrick group water scheme.

The Furmoyle group water scheme was also included in the 2016 bids by Mayo County Council for the multi-annual programme at a unit cost of some €22,000 per house. The expert panel assembled by the Department to review the bids concluded that the cost of the proposed scheme was too expensive and did not recommend it for funding. Accordingly, the scheme was not included in the current programme.

I hope this clarifies matters in respect of the group water schemes identified in County Mayo. I assure the Senator that the Government and the Department are committed to funding water services in rural areas. There are grant schemes in place for local authorities to make applications for funding for group water schemes. There are also fair processes in place to assess these applications. As I stated, the review will be submitted to the Minister in the next month.

There have been significant increases in funding for rural water services. The Government is committed to these services and has increased to €95 million the allocation for the next round of the programme, which will run from 2019 to 2021. I again thank the Senator for raising this issue which she has pursued many times with the Department in the past year.

Senator Michelle Mulherin

I acknowledge the Minister of State's considerable engagement and work on many rural issues, including water and pyrite. I welcome his statement on the Kilmurray group water scheme. Given that the three-year multi-annual programme for 2019 to 2021 has been given the green light, I assume the scheme will be funded, which would be welcome.

The Minister of State has said he is committed to funding water services in rural areas. People have been drilling wells in the Downpatrick and Furmoyle areas. They cannot supply water through their own efforts. It is not enough to say providing water is too expensive. Are these people not entitled to water? What will be done? I understand there is a possibility the council may revise its proposal for a water scheme in Downpatrick. It should be borne in mind that much of the expense arises from the type of terrain through which pipework has to be laid. It would have to go through special areas of conservation and rocky areas. The Minister of State knows about dispersed populations. Many people in these areas have drilled wells which are no good. Something has to be done.

This request to the Government is the last recourse for people in Downpatrick Head and Furmoyle. They have tried everything else. Can they be helped? Perhaps the Minister of State is not aware that Downpatrick Head is one of the signature points on the Wild Atlantic Way. The areas does not even a public toilet because it has no running water, public mains supply or any sort of group water mains supply. That is definitely not something of which we should be proud in this day and age. One cluster of houses in the area has water. Accepting what the Minister of State said, I ask that this matter be revisited. We know that the unit cost of providing a mains water supply will be high. This is the problem the people of the area have been facing all along. Telling them that again does not help matters.

Deputy Damien English

I will raise the Senator's point with the expert group and ask that it focus on the terrain issue. Mayo County Council, in its application under the next round of funding, should make set out in detail the reasons the scheme is so important. I am sure it did so in its previous application, but it may need to add to that and provide more evidence. The expert group will make recommendations on behalf of the Department. There is competition for resources in every county. Schemes that are needed, represent good value for taxpayers' money and meet all the criteria will receive approval. It is very important that a book of evidence accompanies the application.

The Senator made a very good point on the benefits of the Wild Atlantic Way and the importance of it being well serviced with proper infrastructure in respect of toilet facilities and so on. The local authority can add that to the case it makes. We have all seen the success of the Wild Atlantic Way and the numbers of tourists it brings to many counties. I have visited County Mayo frequently and the Wild Atlantic Way is clearly of great benefit to the local population and tourists. We should try to support it. A cross-Department approach could aid with costs and may be something we should pursue. The local authority can gather the evidence and make a case for extra planning. We can look at all the options.

The Senator mentioned the work being done on pyrite and mica. While I had an opportunity to meet residents in Donegal in July, I have not had a chance to meet residents in Mayo again. The work being done by the National Standards Authority of Ireland, NSAI, in respect of standard protocol and procedures is now nearly complete. I made it very clear that as soon as its work is complete, we will be in a position to judge how to proceed. I also made clear to residents in Donegal that once the work in the Department on the legalities involved and other matters had been done, we would be in a strong position to move on. I hope that will be possible in the next couple of weeks.

Schools Building Projects Status

Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee

I thank the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills, Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor, for coming to the Chamber to discuss the urgent situation at St. Molaga's senior national school in Balbriggan. When I submitted this Commencement matter, I used the following wording: "The need for the Minister for Education and Skills to fast-track the essential building works at St. Molaga's senior national school, Balbriggan, County Dublin". Unfortunately I have been in this Chamber on a number of occasions and raised the issue of St. Molaga's with the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton. I am very sorry and frustrated to be here again today with the Minister of State and her officials to discuss the dire situation in St. Molaga's senior national school.

St. Molaga's senior national school based in the town of Balbriggan, County Dublin, has 467 students, 28 teachers and six special needs assistants. For the past 18 years, the expanding school population has been housed in prefabs. Some 58% of the students in the school are housed in prefabs that are 18 years old and these prefabs are crumbling and completely unfit for purpose. There are holes in these leaking prefabs which are damp and completely unacceptable. They have gone past their use by date. The state of disrepair is down to the age of the prefabs. The school has done its best to preserve the buildings in order that the students could be housed for additional years. The prefabs are completely overcrowded, freezing cold in the winter and really hot in the summer time. The situation has become extremely urgent.

Last week during Storm Ali, four prefabs were evacuated and the children and their teachers had to take up residence in the corridors of the main building and in the school hall. The lids of two of the prefab water tanks were blown off and the school had to go into shutdown, meaning that more than half of the school could not access the main school building because they are in prefabs in another part of the site.

These old, damp, crumbling prefabs are posing a serious risk to the students and staff who operate out of them. As I said, more than half of the school population are housed in the prefabs. The students and teachers are constantly sick, they are getting chest infections and students who suffer from asthma have been detrimentally affected by this situation. Students are at absolute breaking point. I know that prior to entering politics the Minister of State, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor was a principal-----

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills (Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor)

Two.

Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee

-----of two primary schools. I thank the Minister of State for that correction. I am sure she will understand, in particular, the frustration faced by the very excellent principal of this school who has done everything in her power to facilitate the Department and the learning environment for these students.

St. Molaga's senior national school is an excellent school. It has an excellent reputation in Balbriggan. It has an excellent teaching culture, an open welcoming policy and an excellent tradition in serving the people of Balbriggan. However, they feel completely neglected at this stage.

The extension to St. Molaga's was approved a number of years ago, but the principal hit a brick wall when she attempted to get any information whatsoever from the Department of Education and Skills on the timetable for the building work. As a result of sustained pressure, we eventually got a bit of progress last February when a technical team visited the school. Unfortunately, seven months later, we are no further along this path. The technical report is still awaited. We are now into another academic school year with predicted extreme weather conditions for the rest of the winter. I am very afraid, as is the principal, that the situation will get even worse. They are at breaking point.

I am asking the Minister of State to fast-track the work that has been approved for many years. It needs to be given priority. The school is in a serious state of disrepair. I extend an invitation to the Minister of State to visit this excellent school and meet the principal in order that she can see for herself this excellent school that is housed in dire accommodation. Serious harm is being done to the pupils and all the staff in the school.

I am putting the Minister of State on notice of this very serious situation and the very serious risk to everybody involved in the school.

Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I have a further update for her. I thank her very much for extending an invitation to visit St. Molaga's. I will certainly ensure that the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Bruton, is invited to visit. I am afraid that I will stick to my brief of higher education institutes, as I have more than enough to do there. However, I am sure he will visit the school.

A previous Commencement matter on this school was raised on 22 January 2018 and since then the technical site visit has taken place and the project brief for the proposed project at this school is in the final stages of completion. The draft prepared reflects this position. In addition, further temporary accommodation was approved to meet a deficit of accommodation for the existing staffing and enrolment levels. While that approval in principle issued to the school in January 2018, the school did not revert to the Department with the R1 form that is used for detailing tenders received until mid-June.

Final approval issued from the Department on 17 July as additional information was required in respect of some cost in the interim period. The prefabs are in place. The Department of Education and Skills received a letter from the school yesterday, 25 September, advising of the damage caused to three prefabs by Storm Ali last week. As mentioned in the notes with the reply to the Commencement matter, the school is liaising with its insurance company on fixing the damage.

Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee

We do not have an update on the position. There is a draft report. When will the school get sight of that draft report? What is the next stage? When will the next stage take place? When will St. Molaga's have its actual school building? This has been going on for far too long. The new prefab to which the Minister of State referred is to facilitate the reduction in the pupil-teacher ratio. A few classes have gone into the new prefabs, but the vast majority of the students and teachers are working out of these prefabs that are 18 years old, and beyond repair at this stage, despite the best efforts of the principal and staff. It is completely unacceptable for the situation to go on. They need the school building. Supplying additional new prefabs is putting a sticking plaster on the issue. It is not acceptable and it is costing more money. It is discommoding everybody in the school and they are at breaking point.

I am not happy at all with the Minister of State's answer.

Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor

I thank the Senator. I certainly note her comments. Let me repeat that there is approval in principle. It was issued to the school in 2018. We had to wait for the R1 form which was sent in mid-June, some six months later. Final approval issued. Additional information is now required in respect of some of the cost in the interim period.

Last Wednesday a delegation of Oireachtas Members from Donegal met the Minister of State with responsibility for school transport, Deputy Halligan, and outlined to him the serious problems being experienced by the almost 30 pupils from the Kilmacrennan and Termon areas who do not have school transport to the two secondary schools in Milford. We also outlined how nine children did not have seats on the bus to Gleneely national school, which is in the north Inishowen area of Donegal. The Minister of State agreed to consider both issues. It is to be hoped he will make an intervention and recommendation. Bus Éireann has made it clear to public representatives in Donegal that it cannot provide more buses under the Department's rules. The Minister of State is to make a decision on the issue.

Since our meeting, though, we have discovered that there is another serious issue in Burnfoot, Bridgend, Tooban and Muff in south Inishowen, which feed into the three secondary schools in Buncrana. Thirty pupils in that area do not have seats on their school buses. All but two of them are eligible for school transport under the Department's rules.

There was a public meeting in Muff last Monday evening. The parents who attended outlined a range of reasons for tickets not being secured. Clearly, there has been miscommunication and there have been misunderstandings. Similarly, there was a public meeting in Termon on Monday evening regarding the Milford schools. Again, parents reported issues.

There needs to be some flexibility. In south Inishowen, approximately 30 pupils are affected. In the Milford area, approximately 30 pupils are affected. In Gleneely in north Inishowen, nine pupils are affected. That is a large number of pupils and parents who have been disadvantaged. We talk about keeping people in rural communities, yet we are not giving them the supports they need in terms of school transport. Most of these are working families with fixed hours, so they must make arrangements. This is a major problem for them.

Something has gone wrong this year. Advance preparation has been an issue. Surely a sense of the numbers requiring school transport at post-primary level can be achieved by contacting the primary schools that feed into those secondary schools. Preparing properly and knowing the number of buses is not a major task with the understanding that, sometimes, communications can go wrong and deadlines can be missed. We cannot leave people standing on the side of the road and without the proper transport.

I emailed the Minister of State's ministerial colleague, Deputy Halligan, last night about the issue in south Inishowen. He has all of the facts regarding Gleneely and Milford and he will have all of the details regarding south Inishowen. He needs to make an intervention. We cannot leave that number of pupils and parents behind. It would be unfair.

Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Bruton, and the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan. I thank the Senator for raising it.

Before I address the specific issues raised, I wish to give Senators an outline of the extent of the school transport service. In the 2017-18 school year, more than 117,000 children, including more than 12,000 with special educational needs, were transported daily in approximately 4,500 vehicles to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country, covering more than 100 million km annually at a total cost of almost €190 million. Parental contributions towards the cost of school transport were €15.4 million in 2017, with the remainder paid for by the State.

Children are generally eligible for school transport if they satisfy the distance criteria and are attending their nearest school. Children who are eligible for school transport and who have completed the application process on time have been accommodated on school transport services for the current school year where such services are in operation. Children who are eligible for school transport but for whom no transport service is available may, following an application for transport within the prescribed time limits, receive a remote area grant towards the cost of private transport arrangements.

Children who are not eligible for school transport may apply for transport where spare seats are available after eligible children have been accommodated. This is referred to as concessionary transport. Where the number of ineligible children exceeds the number of spare seats available, Bus Éireann will allocate tickets for the spare seats using an agreed selection process. Under the terms of the scheme, the number of spare seats varies from year to year based on the capacity of the buses running on all of the various routes and the number of eligible children accommodated on each route. Hence, there is no guarantee that an ineligible child who received a place in a previous year will receive a seat the following year. Neither is there a guarantee that a sibling of an ineligible child who receives a ticket will receive a seat. It is included in the terms and conditions on the Bus Éireann online application that availability of seats may vary from year to year and that concessionary transport cannot be guaranteed for the duration of a child's education.

Under the terms of the scheme, routes will not be extended or altered and additional vehicles will not be introduced. Neither will larger vehicles or extra trips using existing vehicles be provided to cater for children who are not eligible, as no additional State cost will be incurred in covering the cost of providing school transport for children who are not eligible.

More than 74,000 children who are eligible for school transport and who completed the application process on time have been issued with tickets for school transport services for the 2018-19 school year. A further 1,100 children who are eligible for school transport but were late in submitting their payment details were unsuccessful in obtaining seats on school transport services, as buses are operating to capacity. In addition, more than 27,500 children who are not eligible for school transport and who paid by the deadline date have been issued with concessionary tickets for school transport. Some 350 children who are not eligible for school transport and who paid by the deadline date were unsuccessful in obtaining concessionary seats on school transport services for the 2018-19 year, as buses are operating to capacity.

The situation referred to by the Senator relates to a number of children whose payments were not received on time and a further number who are not eligible for school transport. As the services in the area are operating at capacity, it will not be possible to accommodate them on school transport services.

Senator Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

That response is completely unacceptable to me and every other public representative in Donegal. The 30 pupils in south Inishowen whose families are from rural areas and go to Buncrana secondary schools do not have seats on buses. Of the cases we have investigated, this is through no great fault of their own and instead is owing to issues with medical cards and miscommunication. It is unfair.

The Minister of State said "a further number". All but two of the 30 are eligible for school transport. Under the Department's rules, they are entitled to school transport. The Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, needs to intervene and examine this case. Of the 29 pupils in the Milford area, 21 are eligible.

I understand some of them have special needs. We cannot leave these families behind. Nine schoolchildren in Gleneely do not have school transport. That response is unacceptable and not in keeping with what the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, said to us last Wednesday. The Oireachtas Members who were present last Wednesday left hopeful there might be a solution and that there could be an intervention because of the number of eligible students. The distinction between "eligible" and "concessionary" is a matter for debate because a family in a rural area may live approximately 100 m closer to a school in another town than to the school to which the family has traditionally gone. For example, in this case the families have gone to the schools in Milford, but they live 100 m closer to a school in Letterkenny and are being punished for it. That is the issue of "eligible" versus "concessionary". Going by the Minister of State's own rules, we have approximately 50 pupils who are eligible for school transport who are being left behind. That is unacceptable to me and other public representatives in Donegal who are worth their salt. I appreciate that officials from the Department of Education and Skills wrote the response the Minister of State is delivering today. I ask her to speak to the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, and ask him to honour the understanding we reached last Wednesday. That is critical at this stage.

Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor

I hear what the Senator is saying and will make sure the Minister, Deputy Bruton, and the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, hear the concerns raised by him and the group he brought to meet the Minister of State. I will ask him to revert to the Senator specifically.

Seanad Éireann díospóireacht - Wednesday, 26 Sep 2018