Speaking on a special adjournment Dáil debate about Tyrellstown school sites last night, Deputy Joan Burton demanded an end to the delays in securing school sites Tyrellstown Educate Together and Mulhuddart National School.

"Listeners to "Morning Ireland" today may have heard an item towards the end of the programme featuring parents from the suburb of Tyrellstown who were very upset. Tyrellstown is a very large area in Blanchardstown-Castleknock where there are more than 2,000 homes, most of which are occupied by families with young children. It is serviced by two local primary schools, both excellent, Mulhuddart national school and Tyrellstown Educate Together school.

"For the past seven years those schools have been endlessly and fruitlessly in search of a permanent site. We are coming again to crunch time where parents will seek to enrol their children in January for a place next September. As many parents explained at a packed public meeting held some weeks ago, one of many, they do not know what to do or where to go. It seems extraordinary that this Government can give the go ahead for 2,000 houses to be built in a new suburb of Dublin 15. They are very nice houses and it is a lovely population. All the bases for long-term prosperity and happiness are there for these families and their children except they have no school place and are being educated in pre-fabs.

"This situation has gone on for years. When the estate was planned more than 12 years ago there were three school sites. Between them, the Department of Education and Science and the developer managed to lose or magick away all those school sites that would have accommodated two primary schools and one second level school. In a way, the people who bought their houses, paying high mortgages and high management company fees, are the victims of Fianna Fáil's vision of proper management and development in which developers make the fortunes and schoolchildren and their parents are left waiting.

"We were told some time ago by no less a figure than the Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Lenihan, that the cheque had been written for the acquisition of the school site. We were told by the developers they were prepared to give the school site for free. Now we have been told that the contracts are ready between the two parties and still we have no idea what is happening. We are coming to the end of the financial year and no funds have been allocated by the Department of Education and Science for the construction and commencement of the permanent buildings of these schools. We are in a recession and there are builders and construction workers queueing up for work in such projects.

"Why is Fianna Fáil denying the children of Tyrellstown their proper school sites and their permanent schools?"


Reply from the Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism (Deputy Martin Mansergh):

I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe.

I thank the Deputies for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the House the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and also to outline the current position with regard to the future plans for the schools in question.

As the House will be aware the Government has over the last few years increased dramatically investment in the school building programme to an unprecedented level of capital investment which reflects the commitment of the Government to continue its programme of sustained investment in primary and post primary schools. Notwithstanding the financial challenges facing our country in the years ahead, I am confident the Government will continue to prioritise investment in the school building programme.

With regard to the specific matter, the Minister wishes to advise the House that earlier this year the Department requested Fingal County Council to acquire a number of sites for schools in the council's administrative area, including an already identified site for the two schools in question, under the terms of the Fingal memorandum agreement. While the Department had been in the process, through the Chief State Solicitor's Office, of exchanging contracts for the sale of the site, it became apparent at that time there was a high possibility of further ongoing delays in securing the site. As a result, the Department requested the local authority to acquire the site under the Fingal model agreement. The Department has maintained ongoing liaison with the local authority in relation to the acquisition of this and the other requested school sites and understands that the negotiations for the acquisition of the Tyrellstown site are ongoing.

In the circumstances, the House will appreciate that as the Department is not a direct party to the negotiations, the Minister cannot comment further. That said, the House can be assured that the Department is fully aware of the rapidly developing nature of the Dublin 15 area and the associated demands on school places.

In this regard, the Minister can confirm that the Department has recently received correspondence from the board of management of the Tyrellstown Educate Together school to the effect that it intends to limit its junior infants intake to one class for the forthcoming school year. The Department has written to the school authorities advising them of the latest position and will keep them informed of any progress. In order to address any short-term deficit, pending closure on the site and the delivery of the school building, the Department has recently written to the county council requesting its permission to use neighbouring lands under its ownership for the purposes of locating, on a short-term basis, temporary accommodation if required as a last resort.

The Minister is hopeful the council will respond in a positive fashion to this request, particularly as it has been of invaluable assistance to the Department in helping to address such unprecedented demand for school places in their functional area.

Department officials recently met with senior officials from the local authority and in particular discussed the need to close on the Tyrrelstown site as a matter of urgency. The Minister is satisfied that the local authority shares the Department's sense of urgency. The Minister would also like to confirm to the House that the required building project will receive top priority in the Department and has instructed Department officials to consider the scope for providing the schools under its modular building programme, which should result in the schools being completed earlier than would normally be expected.

I wish to thank the Deputy once again for affording me the opportunity to outline to the House the current position in relation to the future plans for the area in question.