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Schools Building Projects

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 March 2022

Thursday, 10 March 2022

Ceisteanna (75)

Catherine Connolly

Ceist:

75. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education further to Question No. 146 of 23 November 2021, the analysis her Department has carried out into the future acquisition of any privately owned vacant school properties in Galway city and county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13315/22]

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Freagraí ó Béal (11 píosaí cainte)

My question is very specifically about what analysis has been done on acquiring empty schools in Galway where properties are vacant. There are two major schools empty for some time. There is potential there. I ask that in the particular context of an Educate Together school that is in a temporary building. That arrangement is coming to an end this year. We had a meeting with the school representatives lately and I understand from yesterday there has been an announcement on that. It is a general question plus a specific purpose one.

I thank the Deputy. To plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a geographical information system, GIS, using data from a range of sources, to identify where the pressure for school places throughout the country will arise. With this information, the Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises to determine where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level. This information provides a degree of certainty in projecting demand in an area in future years.

Where an additional school place demand is identified, the need can be met by one or more of the following options, namely, utilising spare capacity in existing schools, expansion of existing schools or establishment of a new school. In that assessment of appropriate solutions, the Department considers a national inventory of school capacity that is completed by individual schools. When schools are providing their annual 30 September enrolment returns to the Department in respect of the primary online database for primary schools and post-primary online database for post-primary schools, they are now also requested to provide information in respect of overall demand for school places and available capacity within their schools. The compilation and analysis of this information at local, regional and national level through the Department's GIS is an important additional feature of the school planning process.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Department currently has a requirement to identify a permanent site to accommodate the 1,000-pupil capacity Galway Educate Together post-primary school that was established in 2019 to serve the Galway city and Oranmore school planning areas as a regional solution. The site identification exercise for this school requirement found there were no suitable available vacant school buildings that would meet the long-term accommodation needs of the new school. The Department did, as the Deputy has referenced, make progress on that.

The Department also has building projects at primary, post-primary and special schools across Galway city and county, including new school buildings for St. Joseph's College in Galway city, Scoil Chaitríona Junior and Senior Schools, Cuan na Gaillimhe Community National School, Rosedale Special School, Scoil Mhuire, Moycullen and St. Teresa's Special School, among others. There are also multiple large and small scale extension projects in train across the county.

The Department is aware of vacant former school properties in Galway and of properties that may become vacant as a result of school building projects. These properties are in the ownership of third parties, but in all instances throughout the country, such properties are considered as part of the Department's assessment of potential solutions for school accommodation needs and the Department engages with the relevant property owners as appropriate. While no such properties were identified-----

I am sorry, Minister. Deputy Connolly may respond.

I have had the privilege of reading the answer. There was good news yesterday but my question relates to Galway city. We have two empty schools sitting there. The Minister mentioned St. Joseph's College and the plans for that. They have been going on for a long time. It is literally across a little river, or a little stream, from an empty secondary school, where I went myself. It is sitting there empty because the school amalgamated with the Mercy Secondary School, which sits empty. Both have gone to a new premises.

I have the greatest respect for the Department, its business and how it does its business, but in this matter I do not know how somebody did not look at Galway city and the empty school buildings there are and ask what we are going to do with them now. Could The Bish have used the Presentation and could it still use it? On the specific question we are talking about, is the Educate Together school now moving into what was the Mercy school in the centre of town? I understand from the announcement it is, but for just two years, and no progress has been made on a permanent site. I ask the Minister to clarify that.

I appreciate the Deputy's commitment to the provision of appropriate capacity in the Galway area. I want to be very clear the Department is being proactive here. There was a positive announcement yesterday. In an ideal world we would be able to source permanent sites almost overnight. That is not the case. There are significant difficulties. Every site identified as having potential absolutely is evaluated by the Department. Particular time and consideration is given to evaluating every aspect of the site, including whether it is suitable not just for current needs but projected ones going forward, whether there is a planning issue or a road issue and so on. The Deputy herself knows there are a whole variety of considerations that must be taken into account. We are committed to advancing and have made progress. We will continue to deliberate as a matter of urgency on finding appropriate spare capacity going forward.

I appreciate a positive announcement was made yesterday about a temporary solution for two years. What is the permanent solution? The Educate Together school is moving into an empty school. I am emphasising to the Department that it has been empty and the school I went to myself is also empty. Two major buildings have been left empty in Galway while there is a plan to build a brand new school up on a university site and no examination of what to do with these two schools.

Again, my question is what specifically is in place for the Educate Together school. Is it two years? Is it a lease for two years or for five? What money is being paid and to what entity are we paying money, if there is money involved? Is one Department paying the religious organisation or entity in charge, CEIST - I am not sure of its exact name - and are we paying now to house the school? Maybe I am wrong. The bigger picture is getting a permanent site and whether that site is permanent-----

I beg the Acting Chair's pardon. I did not realise I was over time.

Again, I want to be clear when a property becomes available, the Department will engage with the property owner, as it is right and proper. When a site becomes available, the Department will engage and do a full evaluation of the site. It will evaluate the site's positives, negatives and its potential going forward. All of that is a time consideration. Specifically on the matter of properties being available, if the property is not in the Department's ownership, then obviously arrangements need to be made with the property owner. Our key priority is to ensure there is provision of appropriate space for our students, staff and school community. As I referenced earlier, it is not always easy to find an appropriate site, that is, one that will meet not just the current demands but also the future ones. Thus, in some instances we must make short-term arrangements to facilitate a longer or greater vision we have going forward. In this instance we are doing that but we ultimately have the longer objective and longer view of providing a permanent site.

Question No. 76 replied to with Written Answers.
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