Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

What I am hearing is that a school building project needs to pass a certain threshold and if a school might need a complete retrofit, the Department is not at the moment looking at a hall. I will give three examples. I will not name them because I do not have permission to do so. It will give a sense of the kinds of situations we are talking about. I am thinking of a city centre school with about 220 pupils where students need to get on a bus to take part in PE. There is another school relatively close by where pupils need to get on a bus. It is a 1970s Christian Brothers-type school building. I am sure Mr. Loftus is familiar with the type of building with big thick walls. It probably could do with a retrofit. It is a massive school now and has significantly expanded. It wants to get a hall but cannot. In the case of a new primary school build, a new build - albeit it is different at primary school - all that is being offered is that multipurpose room.

This is very disappointing for a school that has campaigned for the provision for a long time. The issue must be looked at again. We cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good. It is not desirable in the context of the obesity crisis and everything else we are trying to face down that a school could go another ten years without a school hall.

The demographic bulge is moving into post-primary education. Approximately how many additional post-primary schools will be needed in the next ten years?