Mr. Hubert Loftus:

I might refer to my colleague, Ms Cusack, on the issue of Gaelscoileanna. On the progress being made in special needs in Cork, I acknowledge the progress that has been made. We have done a huge amount of work in the whole area of special needs, and I acknowledge the work of the National Council for Special Education in leading a lot of that work. In Cork, by way of example, we have invested over €450 million in school facilities in the past five years. That is part and parcel of the investment there. A huge project is also under way in Carrigtwohill.

On the issues of inflation and the supply chain, as I said earlier we operate in a challenging construction sector environment. Notwithstanding that, we are achieving and still achieve strong delivery to meet urgent needs in relation to the provision of school places. Our colleagues in the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform and the Office of Government Procurement in particular have made some amendments to the public works contracts to assist with that. Initially, part of that was publishing a co-operation framework, and more detailed and permanent arrangements were set out during the summer as part of amendments that provide for more flexibility around price variation, inflation and managing that. Certainly, we have seen those measures as positive and helpful. They have helped to ensure that the construction industry has managed to maintain a strong interest in public works contracts and, from our perspective, schools. However, it remains challenging. Certainly, we are increasingly having to work hard to encourage strong interest in school building projects to ensure that we maximise value for money for the taxpayer and the delivery of projects to meet urgent needs. It remains something that we keep a close eye on. Ms Cusack might speak to the issue of Gaelscoileanna and St. Killian's Special School in Mayfield.