The Minister for Education Mary Hanafin needs to explain why she has failed to make any provision for Dublin 15 in her announcement of a €555 million spend on education projects.

"Despite a huge demand for a second level school in Castaheany to serve the new areas at Littlepace and Ongar, the Minister has failed so far to either acquire the site or indeed to include the building of the school in her new plans.

The new program provides for 23 new post-primary schools and 4 new primary schools. It’s difficult to know why Dublin 15 has been left out, in light of the fact that more recent developments in Adamstown in Lucan, Donabate and Balbriggan have been included"

Deputy Joan Burton raised the issue of the permanent school for the Castaheany Educate Together School and for the second level school on the first day of the new Dail session,
^{The Minister’s reply is virtually unchanged from six months ago, stating that she is still trying to acquire the permanent building sites.}

No provision has been made either for additional second level places or indeed primary school places in the Castleknock area. Castleknock Community College is now bursting at the seams and has no P.E. hall despite the Minister’s promises. As with the Clonee area huge housing developments continue to take place in the Castleknock area, including the Phoenix Park Racecourse with 2300 units and Pelletstown in nearby Ashtown with 4500 new units.

No provision has been made for a secondary school for either of these extraordinarily large developments. It seems that Dublin 15 must once more wait at the bottom of this government’s queue for essential school facilities.

---

Chun an Aire Oideachais agus Eolaíoctha

To the Minister for Education and Science

To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her Department has acquired a

permanent site for a school (details supplied) in Dublin 15; the cost of the

site; the amount of land which has been acquired; when the building of the

permanent school will commence; the estimated value of the contract; the

estimated completion date; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

- Joan Burton. 

 

 * For WRITTEN answer on Wednesday, 28th September, 2005.

Reference Number: 25860/05

Freagra

 

Minister for Education and Science (Mary Hanafin, T.D.)

Negotiations regarding the acquisition of a site to cater for the permanent accommodation needs of the school to which the Deputy refers are at an advanced stage. Given the Band 1 status attaching to this project under the prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects, it will proceed to architectural planning as soon as possible following site acquisition.

Due to the commercial sensitivities attaching to site acquisitions generally, the information requested by the Deputy relating to site cost is not available for release at present. My Department's policy in relation to all site acquisitions is to treat them with the strictest confidentiality until the acquisition has been completed. This is to ensure that my Department will achieve the best value for money option. It is a further policy of my Department not to publish estimated building contract costs to avoid prejudicing the tendering process.

The amount of land to be acquired will allow for the development of school facilities to meet the needs of the school concerned along with shared community facilities which will be developed in conjunction with Fingal County Council. This cooperation ensures that the delivery of school and community facilities maximises the use of available land and avoids the duplication of facilities such as sports facilities, playing pitches etc.

Chun an Aire Oideachais agus Eolaíoctha

To the Minister for Education and Science

To ask the Minister for Education and Science her proposals to provide a second level school in the Littlepace and Castaheany area of Clonee, Dublin 15, in view of the thousands of new homes in the area; the progress which has been made in acquiring the reserved site in the area for the second level school;when the new school will be given sanction; when she proposes to permit the new school to proceed to contract and to open; and the estimated cost of the site and of the contract for building and fitting the school.

- Joan Burton.

 

 * For WRITTEN answer on Wednesday, 28th September, 2005.

Reference Number: 25861/05

Freagra

 

Minister for Education and Science (Mary Hanafin, T.D.)

As the Deputy will be aware, my Department is planning the development of a new post primary school in Dublin 15 to serve the growing population of that area.

It is intended to progress the provision of the school in Phibblestown area as a Design Build Project. My Department has advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union for design build teams. The short-listing of these teams is currently being undertaken. A project manager has also been appointed to manage the delivery of this project.

It is not possible to say at this early stage when the new school will open,however, the acquisition process for the site is at an advanced stage. Due to the commercial sensitivities attaching to site acquisitions generally, the information requested by the Deputy relating to site cost is not available for release at present.
My Department's policy in relation to all site acquisitions is to treat them with the strictest confidentiality until the acquisition has been completed. This is to ensure that my Department will achieve the best value for money option. In the same way, my Department does not publish estimated contract sums to avoid prejudicing the tendering process.

                                Has The Plug Been Pulled On The Abbotstown Campus? 

 PRESS RELEASE FROM JOAN BURTON TD

   CASTLETHORN CONSTRUCTION

   TRAFFIC CALMING ON RIVERWOOD DISTRIBUTOR ROAD


   The news that Castlethorn Construction Company is to withdraw the Riverwood distributor road from the Taking-in-Charge process and instead apply for the quicker process of seeking permission to install traffic calming measures will be a welcome relief to many residents of the  Riverwood area said Deputy Joan Burton.
Since the opening of the new bridge over the bridge at Porterstown the area has been plagued with speeding cars and a number of accidents have taken place on the bends on the Riverwood section of the road. The Council should be taking the roadin charge but their process is extremely long drawn out and using that method could take years to provide traffic calming.  Instead the developer, as is the developers legal right, has now agreed, following representations by Councillor Peggy Hamill to seek planning permission for traffic calming measures.  Hopefully this will allow traffic calming measures to be installed as quickly as possible.
Traffic Calming measures are seriously needed because of the risk to pedestrians, particularly children, from the number of speeding cars now using the road.

"Government ministers queue up to tell us again and again that we are one of the most successful economies in the world. If this is the case then there is no excuse for failing to allocate the resources required to tackle our public transport problems.


"Continued failure to make a decision on the ten year transport plan will not only cause inconvenience for commuters, it will also cost us financially through traffic delays and extra costs. If Ministers Cullen and Cowen are unable to sort out their differences then the Taoiseach must personally intervene to ensure that the deadlock is broken and that the plan is agreed upon and activated without any more delays". 

OECD Report Shows Chronic Government Under-Spending on Education

Press Statement by Deputy Joan Burton T.D.

15th September 2005

A report produced by the international Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) shows the extent of this government’s underfunding of our schools. Shockingly, spending on primary and second-level education in Ireland increased at only half the rate of economic growth in the Celtic Tiger era.

Deputy Burton said of the report:

“These figures prove the point that I have been trying to make to this government about the schools in Dublin 15. Throughout the last Dail term I constantly brought up the issue of the lack of facilities at St. Brigid’s School Castleknock and Castleknock Community College.
On top of these problems, schools such as Mary Mother of Hope, Littlepace NS and St. Patrick’s NS, Diswellstown found themselves completely overwhelmed by the number of applicants for places. Also, the Castaheany Educate Together School has still been forced to operate from a temporary site due to the chronic lack of funding it receives.
This government has not invested enough money in our education system – and this report by a respected international organisation brings shame upon our FF/PD government.”