Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome everyone attending the committee. I will pick up where Deputy Conway-Walsh left off, as Mr. Loftus half-answered the question I was going to ask about inflationary costs. The other side of the question concerns projects specifically. Does the Department have an assessment or analysis of how many projects have been delayed because of inflationary pressures? Have projects not started in some instances? Will the witnesses elaborate on that? I am conscious of asking questions that have not already been asked.

An issue has come to light recently regarding AstroTurf pitches across the country, which ties in with what Deputy Ó Laoghaire raised concerning sports halls. An EU directive is coming down that is potentially going to, perhaps "ban" is not the right word, but will phase out the use of rubber pellets on AstroTurf pitches. Does the Department have any idea how many schools are currently at planning stage for those or in the process of building or tendering them? What likely impacts will they face? What is the latest information the Department has regarding that issue? It is of concern to a number of sports clubs I interact with.

My other question concerns the wider east Cork area, which I have raised with the Minister and officials in the past. No matter which stakeholder I speak to, everywhere east of Cork city, from Glanmire east to YoughaI, they say capacity is a massive issue every year. I have served on five boards of management and while many of the issues around capacity and enrolment work out through the process and many people ultimately find places, the problem seems to be particularly acute in east Cork. If you talk to parents, principals, education and training members or officials, or special educational needs organisers, they all say there is a need for at least one, if not more, secondary schools in the wider east Cork area. We are repeatedly told that the model the Department operates and the geographic information system the Department operates demonstrates that, by 2026 or 2027, I think, demand on those places is set to fall. Will the Department representatives comment on that? Approximately 10,000 houses are planned for Midleton, Carrigtwohill and Cobh and the development of a new village in Water-Rock, for example. Have those been factored in? I am from an area called Little Island, which has a population of 1,200.

In the last county development plan, the council included a provision for a school in an area with declining school numbers. It is a tiny primary school with 170 pupils. I am not sure whether the provision was on foot of a Department request or whether the county council made the decision itself. I would appreciate it if the delegates explained the rationale for how something like that might happen?