COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF LUCAN AREA COMMITTEE
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
MOTION NO. 2
MOTION: Councillor W. Lavelle
"That this Area Committee yet again expresses its serious concerns over the continuing omission from the Department of Education's school building and pre-fab replacement programmes of a number of well-established schools in the Lucan area i.e. Archbishop Ryan JNS & SNS in Balgaddy and St. Thomas NS & Scoil Áine Naofa in Esker; each of which continue to rely to a significant scale of pre-fab accommodation. This Area Committee therefore calls on the Department of Education and Skills to, at a minimum, expedite the planning stage for these schools to 'tender stage' as soon as possible; and to further conduct an audit of the cost-effectiveness and suitability of maintaining pre-fabs on site at and if, on foot of this audit, it is considered appropriate to replace the prefabs, to proceed to provide (through devolved grants if appropriate) the funding to develop extensions or additional shared standalone buildings to accommodate each school's additional requirements. Finally this Area Committee yet again requests that officials of the Department 'Planning & Building Unit' meet with members of this Committee to review school-planning policy in the Lucan area."
REPORT:
On 22nd July 2013, the following letter was sent to the Minister for Education and Skills. An acknowledgment was received on 24th July 2013. As no further correspondence was received a reminder was issued on 6th September 2013. The response of the Minister is still awaited.
"I refer to your letter dated 28th February 2013 in relation to the Department's Building Programme for schools in Lucan. This correspondence was noted by the Lucan Area Committee at its meeting held on 25th June 2013. Arising from this discussion the following motion was approved;
"That this Area Committee commends the Minister for Education and Skills for the progress to date in commencing developments planned under his Departments' five year school building programme. However, this Committee further expresses its serious concerns over the continuing omission from this programme; and from the more recently-announced pre-fab replacement programme, of four well-established schools in the Lucan area i.e. Archbishop Ryan JNS & SNS in Balgaddy and St. Thomas NS & Scoil Áine Naofa in Esker; each of which continue to rely to a significant scale on pre-fab accommodation. This Area Committee therefore calls on the Department of Education and Skills to, at a minimum, expedite the planning stage for these schools 'tender stage' as soon as possible; and to further conduct an audit of the cost-effectiveness and suitability of maintaining pre-fabs on site at and if, on foot of this audit, it is considered appropriate to replace the prefabs, to proceed to provide (through devolved grants if appropriate) the funding to develop extensions or additional shared standalone buildings to accommodate each school's additional requirements. Finally this Area Committee again requests that officials of the Department 'Planning & Building Unit' meet with members of this Committee to review school-planning policy in the Lucan area; and this meeting take place before the elected members of this Council would be asked to consider any reserved function in respect to future school developments supported by the Department."
I should be obliged if you would let me have a response to this motion to enable me to revert to the Committee."