Sinn Féin County Laois

Sinn Féin Education Spokesperson Senator Pearse Doherty has revealed that over €6.5million is being spent annually on prefab accommodation for school children in 74 schools across 18 Counties. Figures released exclusively to Sinn Féin from the Department of Education show that nearly €20million has been spent in these schools over the past number of years on prefab accommodation.

Senator Doherty said, “This is an obscene amount of money for the Government to be wasting on substandard accommodation for our children. This money and other moneys should be invested in permanent quality school buildings. How else are we to build the so called knowledge economy that the Government so often talks about?

“When asked if he will provide a list on a county by county basis the amount per school that has been spent on prefabs over the past five years the Minister responded by saying that the information requested is not readily available and would take an inordinate amount of time to compile.

“However,in the 74 schools throughout 18 Counties which I enquired about 27 schools are paying over €100,000 annually on the rent of prefabs. This includes 10 schools which are paying over €150,000, four schools paying more than €200,000 and one school which is paying just under €250,000 on the rent of prefabs.

“Sixteen schools have paid over €400,000 in rent over a number of years up to December 2008 while three schools have paid over €1,000,000 and one school has paid €1,728,020 so far in rent of prefabs.

“Eleven schools have paid over €100,000 for the purchase of prefabs while one school has paid €409,765 for the purchase of prefabs.

“These figures are an indictment on the record of successive Fianna Fáil led Government who have failed to invest properly in our children’s education even in the years of the economic boom.

“At this time of record unemployment levels Sinn Féin has called on the Government to invest in labour intensive public infrastructure projects to boost employment in the construction sector and to put in place the infrastructure required to sustain our economy in the medium to long term. This should include the fast-tracking of the school building programme to bring about an end to the use of prefab accommodation for our children.

“Our proposals would see all 74 schools that are currently a stage 3 tender stage proceed to construction immediately with a target of 50% of the 86 schools at design stage proceeding to construction by the end of 2009. We would also ensure that a minimum of 150 school building projects enter the architectural and planning stages each year to ensure we meet the projected demand for school places over the coming years.”

ENDS

Sinn Féin European Election Candidate for Ireland East Constituency, Tomás Sharkey, lodged his nomination papers at Naas Courthouse today Saturday 9th May 09.

He was accompanied by Deputy Arthur Morgan, who was his proposer, Louth Councillor Jim Loughran and Aidan Mullins Sinn Féin candidate for Laois County Council.

Tomás Sharkey said afterwards

“I am proud to be contesting the European Elections for the Ireland East Constituency as a Sinn Féin candidate. I believe that we in Ireland East deserve better representation in Europe.

” When the people rejected the Lisbon Treaty we in Sinn Féin clearly called for a diffrent type of Europe. We want Ireland’s influence maintained, neutrality enhanced, pay and conditions of workers to be protected, a new approach to the delivery of services and a new approach to trade policy which should be good for Irish farmers and the developing world.

“I look forward to the support of the people of Ireland East on June 5th.”

Councillor Tomás Sharkey has highlighted the massive increase in unemployment across the Ireland East Constituency. The Sinn Féin Councillor is claiming that the Constituency has seen a 100.4% increase in unemployment in the last 12 months since April 2008 - a greater increase than any other constituency area.

“The Central Statistics Office publish these figures every month. They are collated by County and also by region. But I have started collating the figures by European Constituency. There is no doubt that the South, West and Northwestern areas have high unemployment rates. I am highlighting the fact that the recession is having a harder impact at a faster rate in the Ireland East Constituency.

“Ireland East has seen a 100.4% increase in unemployment. This figure is hard to understand when we have the best infrastructure, easiest access to foreign markets, some of the best agriculture and a very well skilled workforce.

“All across this constituency from Wexford to Louth people are telling me that there is no real effort by the government to retain existing jobs. There is no real plan to help the unemployed into education. There is no plan in place to maximise all that is best in the east coast’s potential.

“I do believe that our economy needs a stronger mix of construction, agriculture, technology and research and development.

“The economic crisis in Ireland is now entering a dangerous social phase. This is the point where society starts to suffer due to the pressures of unemployment and poor investment. We have many areas across Leinster where there are a lot of children but no school to go to. Public amenities do not exist. Health services are being withdrawn. These are the elements which are crucial to maintaining a community spirit and hope in society.

“I am calling on the government not to let the doom of the recession be transferred to our children, our sick and our elderly. I am calling for essential public services to be maintained.”

Note:
unemployment figures for the EU Constituencies are:

April 08 April 09 Increase
Ireland East 47,277 94,744 100.4%
Dublin 46,347 92,514 99.6%
South 50,294 98,436 95.7%
North West 51,680 98,754 91%

Reference: CSO

Tomás Sharkey is a Sinn Féin candidate for the Ireland East European Constituency. His website is www.sharkeyforeurope.ie and contains a photo gallery, biography and newsdesk. Tomás can be contacted on 087 9090629 at any time or on 042 9328859.

Is Gaeilgeoir é Tomás agus fáiltíonn sé roimh comhfhreagra as Gaeilge. Cuirfidh sé leagan Gaeilge ar fáil ach é a iarraidh.

Sinn Fein Candidates Cllr. Brian Stanley and Alan Hand have welcomed the news that approval has been given to start the two new secondary schools on the Borris Road.

Reacting to the news they said, “This announcement has been long overdue and is good news for Parents and Pupils in Portlaoise and the surrounding school catchment area. The existing secondary schools at the Convent and the Christian Brothers are severely overcrowded and in poor condition.

The approval at this time, following years of delays, is as a direct result of the perseverance of all those who have campaigned and lobbied over the years for new secondary schools. We now need to turn the heat up on the campaign to get the new primary schools that are so desperately needed in Portlaoise.

The secondary schools will be provided by way of a ‘Public Private Partnership’ (PPP) as opposed to the usual contract, where they would be constructed by a company and then handed over to the school authorities. The public should now be informed of what the total cost of this PPP will be to the taxpayer. Payments will be made to the company who will operate the schools over a 25 year period. A Dail question last year failed to shed any light on either the terms of the contract or what the total cost will be to the taxpayer over the 25 year period.

The approval for the new schools is welcome news. However, the total cost to the taxpayer should be made known so as the public can judge whether they are receiving good value for their money”.

ENDS

Speaking this morning from Portarlington, Co. Laois, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams described the governments spend of €113 million on prefabricated school over the last three years as a damning indictment of a government who claim that education is a priority but who in reality have failed to deliver for tens of thousands of children across the state.

Mr. Adams said:

“Thousands of children across the country have spent their entire primary education in substandard prefab buildings. Clearly this is not likely to change under the current government, nor would it with a Fine Gael led government as Enda Kenny continues to scapegoat the public sector whilst advocating spending cuts and layoffs.

“In response to a Parliamentary Question raised by my colleague Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe admitted that there are approximately 25 schools in Co. Laois alone left to educate their children in prefabs.

“How does Fianna Fáil intend to build a knowledge economy if it sees no benefit in investing in the most fundamental tools of education such as school buildings and teacher pupil ratios?

“Sinn Fein believes education is a priority. In government we would frontload infrastructure projects such as a school building programme using money from the National Pension Reserve Fund (NPRF).

“In the Oireachtas today legislation is being passed to pump €7 billion of the Pension Reserve Fund monies into flailing banks. In government Sinn Féin would use this money to invest in Ireland’s future.”

ENDS