Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will start by welcoming the investment in the Department of Education, especially in the schools building programme, the Minister successfully fought for. I thank her for her leadership on practical inputs that have had a huge benefit for people's household budgets, such as the free school books initiative, free school transport and her collaboration with the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, to ensure that from next September any child aged over 18 and still in post-primary or alternative education will qualify for child benefit.

We in Dublin-Mid West are one of the main beneficiaries of the school building programme. Some 30 projects are being funded and due to be built in my constituency including new school buildings, existing schools getting extensions, rapid builds, adapt programmes, additional classrooms and special education needs facilities. This might not be the most appropriate forum for my next question. I have raised the matter in the Dáil a number of times through Topical Issue matters and Parliamentary Questions. I heard the Minister would be here today so I took the opportunity to reiterate to her and her senior leadership team how important these school building projects are for my community. There are many of them. I will provide the Minister with a list, although I am sure her Department has it.

I will mention in particular my former secondary school, Holy Family Community School, Rathcoole, that expected to break ground on a long-awaited building this year, but is still caught up in red tape in the Department. The Department design team sought final clarifications from the school and its design team, which were received in July, but more clarifications were sought after that. The bottom line is that there is still no approval for the school to start construction. There are stressed-out parents and children in the community, including parents of sixth class students who are in category 1 feeder schools, but are being told their children are far down on waiting lists for a place at their local post-primary school. We also have an entire school community of existing students, parents, staff and a principal who still have no update from the Department on when they will get their long-awaited new building.

There have been high-profile fundraisers and a call for interventions and that is what I am doing today. I am calling for the Minister to intervene in this and asking if she can seek an update from her Department on the school building projects for Dublin Mid-West, in particular the Holy Family Community School in Rathcoole. We have plans in place and designs that are ready. We have funding and the tender is at stage three. Everything is there and all they need is the go-ahead to break ground. The school tells me it has construction teams ready, in place and willing. We just want to see a bit of urgency around this and I am asking that the Minister inject in regard to the Department.