2025-12-11

101. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware of the ongoing challenges regarding a school (details supplied) accessing a sports capital grant due to concerns of the archdiocese relating to financial costs incurred by primary schools when undertaking such a grant, if her departmental officials would be asked to mediate between the two parties in order to achieve a resolution that would provide a sports amenity for a socio-economically deprived area and if she will provide clarity to both parties. [70411/25]

This question concerns St. Thomas National School in Jobstown. I do not know if the Minister of State is aware of the challenges it is facing. There are a lot of moving parts. The latest challenge is coming from the archdiocese in looking for clarification on an undertaking from the Department about it. It relates to Jobstown Celtic Football Club at St. Thomas National School and the building of a astro pitch. The money is sitting there in an account but we cannot get agreement from the archdiocese, which is looking for clarification from the Department.

The school campus referred to by the Deputy comprises a junior school and a senior school. The junior school has a major project with the Department for a new school building on the existing site, which is currently at construction stage. This project will provide modern facilities for the school community, including provision for children with special educational needs. As part of this project substantial external play facilities such as three ball courts, two junior play areas, one secure hard and soft play area and one sensory garden are being provided. My Department understands that there are ongoing discussions between the board of management, the patron and the trustees of the school regarding an application for a sports capital grant for an astro pitch facility. The trustees have direct responsibility for property matters at the schools. The Department supports and encourages the use of school buildings and school sports facilities outside of school hours for community and recreational purposes where feasible, including childcare and after school uses. Over the past number of years, we developed a project that was one of the first where schools collaborated with the Department of sport in terms of building facilities. It was one of the first projects because we were refused a number of times before we designed it in Charleville in County Cork. It involved a facility between the sporting organisation and the school that would be open for the school during school time and open for the community afterwards. That is the right thing to do. I understand that there are ongoing issues regarding the patron and trustees. Unfortunately, I do not have the imprimatur to make a decision on this. I would appreciate if the Deputy could give me any correspondence between the trustees and the Department and I can see whether there is any guidance we can give or whether guidance has been sought from the Department. Our experience regarding a number of projects involves the challenge of getting the required documents to the Department before draw down. Additional information not given on the floor of the House. A set of revised procedures on the use of school buildings and school sports facilities outside of school hours was published in June 2024. The purpose of these procedures is to provide assistance to schools that wish to make their school buildings and school sports facilities available to community or sporting clubs or organisations outside of school hours. The procedures outline the various scenarios and informs where consent of the Department of Education and Youth is required. These procedures are an important resource for schools and their trustees, including in considering sports capital grant applications or other arrangements with community groups. The procedures have been brought to the attention of the trustee of the school in question.

There are a lot of moving parts with regard to this. Everyone is in favour of it - the club, the school, the community, South Dublin County Council and political representatives. The challenge is that the archdiocese wants to know who will pay for the opening and closing of the premises after the school uses the facility and who will pay for insurance and cleaning. The club is going to do all that. I can get an affidavit. The archdiocese is saying the capitation grant does not cover it so it is looking for clarification from the Department regarding the archdiocese's demand for an increase in the capitation grant. Some of the things it is looking for are outside the scope of it. The ball is back in the court of the Department. The archdiocese is saying that it might look at it at a later stage and that when a sports capital grant is established to cover the running costs of the project, this proposal can be revisited. What it is looking for is madness. At the end of the day, common sense should apply. It is an area of high deprivation and this decision will hugely affect the children. An astro pitch is already there but it is safer to play on the road than it is on the actual pitch, given the state it is in. I am really frustrated about this.

I fully support Deputy Crowe on this. A solution has to be found. The Department has a role to play here, as have the school, the patron body and the religious authorities, but a solution must be found.

I accept the genuine frustration of the Deputies on this. The Department of Education and Youth is very committed. Many facilities paid for by the State and built up over the years close on Friday evening and do not open again until Monday morning. We do want to make sure every facility, be it in Jobstown or anywhere else, is used. I have considerable experience as a public representative over a number of years in trying to unwind the challenges faced by local communities. Forgive me if I do not have the exact details because it is not in my Department but if I can help, I will. A sports capital grant has been secured. The community is engaging to get approval to draw down the funding. The archdiocese or the patron body is looking for clarifications that are not available for the club to give. It is important that we look clinically at this. If the Deputy can give me those details, I will follow up on them. If our Department has a role to play, I will certainly look at it as a matter of urgency. It is important that we break down barriers because this is a model of funding that is available to communities.

It is a huge advantage to the area, the pupils in the school and the wider community. It is something that can be resolved. If an affidavit from the club stating that it would cover all the costs was given, that might be enough. The capitation grant is a problem but I might talk to the Minister of State afterwards. Perhaps we can put our heads together and, with the archdiocese, come up with a commonsense solution that will resolve this problem and provide an astro pitch for the kids in this area.

The capitation grant is specifically paid for costs relating to the running of the school, such as the cost of heating and lighting. We had debates earlier in the session regarding that. I do not think it should affect this issue. Is the archdiocese looking for some information? I find it difficult as well. We are dealing with a very protracted system across the patron bodies as well. I would have no difficulty in trying to bring clarity from our Department's point of view or maybe some advice I might have.