Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 January 2019
88. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the procedures in place for the inspection of school buildings to ensure they comply with health, fire and safety issues particularly older school buildings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2642/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn accordance with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, it is the responsibility of school management authorities to have a safety statement in place in their schools. Schools are obliged to identify possible hazards, assess the risks to health and safety and put appropriate safeguards in place.
Individual school authorities are responsible, in the first instance, for ensuring the safety and welfare of children and others in their care. It is open to school management authorities or individuals to make direct contact with the Health and Safety Authority in relation to matters of concern to them and my Department would not necessarily be aware of such communication. Where they are issued, notifications from the Health and Safety Authority are sent to the management authorities of schools, in the first instance.
Provision is built into the School Building Programme to enable schools to address urgent health and safety problems. Primary schools are given an annual allocation, currently amounting to €5,500 plus €18.50 per mainstream pupil and €74 per special needs pupil attending a special school or special class, under the grant scheme for minor works which can be used entirely at the discretion of school management to address basic health and safety issues relating to the school infrastructure.
In addition, my Department’s Summer Works Scheme provides capital grants for small scale improvement works at primary and post-primary schools during the summer holidays. A total of 307 schools were recently approved in excess of €40m to carry out improvement works during summer 2019. A new Summer Works Scheme will open for applications in Q1 2019 for projects to be delivered from summer 2020 onwards.
My Department also sets-aside a contingency sum each year to deal with emergency works in primary and post-primary schools, including health and safety works. Urgently required health and safety works may be grant-aided under the Department’s Emergency Works Scheme.
