Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

It is an issue for rural schools. Where I am originally from, there is a rural school directly outside the town, Bree national school. The population has snowballed in the past number of years. The school got a number of extensions and now it is going again. This will be a considerable challenge for the Department and the building unit going forward. Let me impress upon them the importance of rural primary schools. They are very important for the fabric of the local community and the local village and parish in keeping rural Ireland alive.

I know it is very dangerous to quote from a parliamentary question. As a former Minister of State, I had to be very careful about what was put into a parliamentary question because it could be relayed in a number of years' time. According to a reply to a parliamentary question from 2021, about PE halls for post-primary schools, the Department's main focus of resources over the past decade was the provision of additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics. That is understandable. The went on to state that the second half of the national development plan, from 2023 onwards, will see an increasing focus on the upgrade and refurbishment of the existing school stock and that this will include a PE hall build and modernisation programme to ensure that students in all schools have appropriate facilities to support PE provision and supports. I will not ask a question, but I will ask you to comment on the parliamentary question reply from 2021.