Dáil debates
Wednesday, 9 April 2008
Other Questions
Schools Building Projects.
3:00 pm
Ulick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 68: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of representations, that is, calls, e-mails, letters and so on received by her Department to date regarding the case of a new community post-primary school in Ballinamore, County Leitrim; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13299/08]
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has received numerous representations from concerned parties regarding the provision of a new community school in Ballinamore, County Leitrim. The representations were initially concerned with the acquisition of a site and more recently concentrated on the commencement of architectural planning for the new school building.
My Department recognises the need for a new community school in Ballinamore to facilitate further the amalgamation of the three post-primary schools in the area, and has drafted a schedule of accommodation for this school. The schedule of accommodation is based on the long-term enrolment of 400 pupils and has a proposed floor area of 4,094 square metres. The schedule will provide seven general classrooms, two lecture rooms and 19 specialist rooms, as well as several offices and other ancillary accommodation. It also provides for a PE facility hall comprising a total area of 606 square metres. The external provision allows for a covered area for construction studies, four hard play courts, 32 car parking spaces, an external storage facility and a general yard. In addition, my Department has secured a site for the provision of a new school. The final legal transfer of title is currently under way. My Department is considering the most effective way of delivering this project, including examining the feasibility of allowing it to proceed in the next bundle of public private partnership projects.
I am committed to providing a new school for Ballinamore at the earliest possible date. However, at this stage it is not possible to be definitive regarding a start date for construction of the proposed new school.
Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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That is not the answer to my question. I asked how many e-mails and letters the Department had received to date regarding the case of a new community post-primary school in Ballinamore, and if the Minister would make a statement on the matter. We all know what is happening to this school. Ballinamore has a problem in that there are three school buildings with students commuting along the streets as classes interchange. A new school has been sought for 20 years. A departmental inspector's report in 2000 cited the loss of school time due to travel between classes, major safety concerns, and the quality of education in such a difficult layout spread around the town of Ballinamore. The Office of Public Works and the Department have spent seven years looking for sites and eventually settled on a site they examined many years ago. There is not much urgency about the matter. Now the site has been acquired, contracts were signed on 7 June and the vendors have been paid. The situation is very serious.
Brendan HowlinFrank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Will the Minister state on the record that this school will be delivered in the coming weeks under her new programme?
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Even I cannot build a school in the next few weeks.
Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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We have been waiting for 20 years.
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy asked about the number of calls and e-mails received. Calls to my office, the Secretary-General's office and the building unit are numerous but they are not all recorded or listed for each of the various sections. One person has been particularly active on behalf of the school in ringing various offices and sending e-mails. As regards the importance of delivering this school, I met the deputation from the school and assured them that once their site was finalised they would be on the next design team list. That situation has not changed with the single exception that we are examining the most efficient and speedy way of delivering the school for the community in Ballinamore. That is why we are examining the possibility of including it in the next PPP bundle.
Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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That is not on.
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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We want to see if that would be a quicker way of doing it because we are committed to delivering this school.
Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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When does the Minister hope to be in a position to finalise the next PPP budget? My understanding was that the legal transfer was through and that moneys have already been paid over. Is the Minister now telling us that the legal transfer is not through even though the moneys have been paid over? Why are e-mails from the community in question to the Department and the Minister's office not being responded to? How many other schools are split between three separate sites that have not been sanctioned to date? Will the Minister issue a public apology to the local community for the way she berated them in the local media when she visited there recently?
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I have not visited Ballinamore but I met a deputation from the school, comprising parents, members of the parent body, the principal and the patron. I gave them a commitment that they would be on the next design team list. That is still the situation unless we determine that a more efficient and speedy way of doing it would be through the PPP process. We want to deliver this as quickly as possible. E-mails should be responded to but the situation has not changed since I spoke with the group. That was the determination at the time and when I met them their site had not been finalised. It is now finalised but I did not mention anything about finances or the site. I do not know what the Deputy was referring to there.
Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The Minister said in her reply that the legal transfer was ongoing.
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The final contract, yes.
Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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So is it finished or not with the OPW?
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As I understand it, the final contract papers are not finished but there is no difficulty with the site. That is why we are anxious to move ahead quickly.
Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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That is a "maybe" answer.
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As regards the PPPs, the second bundle will shortly be going to the market and we will be doing the third bundle quickly after that. It may well be the best and most efficient way to proceed.
Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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So it is not the next bundle, but the one after that.
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The second bundle has already gone, so the next one will be the third bundle, which is the one we are considering this school for.
Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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It is a bungle all right.
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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It may well be the most efficient way of doing it.
Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The site is currently in the school's possession but can the Minister give a date for that third PPP bundle? The adults and children of Ballinamore are waiting for this date immediately.
Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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They will learn the third secret of Fatima before they get that answer.
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I do not have an exact date for the third bundle.
Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Does the Minister even have a ballpark date?
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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No. It is intended that the first bundle will go on site over the next couple of months. The second bundle will be moving out after that and we are preparing the third bundle at the moment. Obviously, the decision to include Ballinamore will be the first thing and then to organise a bundle of schools for inclusion.
Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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It will be considered sometime after the local elections.
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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No. It will be well done by then because we have the budget under the PPP heading and we want to ensure we get the best benefit from it.