Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

Tyrellstown in Dublin 15 is a vibrant community of over 2,000 houses and apartments built over the past eight years. It now has a population in excess of 5,000, many of them children. Many people will only have heard of Tyrellstown as a consequence of the tragic recent killing of one of its young residents, Toyosi Shittabey, a Nigerian born 15 year-old who was raised in Ireland and had promise as a footballer and athlete.

For the past eight years, successive Fianna Fáil Ministers for Education and Science have promised that significant new developments like Tyrellstown would get primary and secondary schools. After seven years, a permanent site for two primary schools was acquired in January 2010 at a cost of over €4 million. This seven acre site is intended to house Tyrellstown Educate Together and Mulhuddart national school. When will permanent buildings for these primary schools be built? These fine primary schools are in many ways the soul of their communities. It is a false economy to accommodate students in temporary buildings paid for by the Department of Education and Science.

A permanent secondary school building is also urgently needed for this community. The Department does not seem to have considered providing a new secondary school even though approximately 150 children graduate local primary schools every year and are dispersed widely across Dublin 7 and Dublin 15.

Tyrellstown is a fine, multicultural community and it is in shock at the killing of Toyosi. The lack of a second level school means that pupils who have been educated together in their local primary schools are dispersed when they go to secondary school. At a time when integration is really important, it is an appalling commentary on the Government and the Department that the community has no permanent primary school, secondary school, community facility or playing fields. This is a community full of soccer and GAA mad children. If we want a genuinely integrated community of Irish people and new Irish people, it is critically important that we educate children of diverse backgrounds together. Facilitating children growing up and playing sports together is the best way of ensuring integration for children and their parents.

A secondary school with a gym, sports hall and playing fields is taken for granted in many smaller communities. When will Tyrellstown get the resources it needs and deserves? Ireland was shocked by the death of Toyosi. There was a huge outpouring of support and sympathy for his family and friends. GAA and other sports clubs are working on the ground without facilities.

Many people in Tyrellstown bought their houses at the height of the Celtic tiger and are paying huge mortgages as well as their taxes. They deserve to see their tax money spent on much needed facilities for their children at primary and secondary level. Millions of euro in development levies were paid by people who bought their houses in Tyrellstown, yet this Government cannot provide the basic community facilities these levies were supposed to fund.

I seek a clear timetable for the construction of these schools. I see no reason that work cannot commence on these schools or steps taken to acquire a site for a secondary school and associated playing fields. The secondary school could be started on a temporary basis in the vacated prefab primary schools while the permanent building is being constructed.

The Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science, Deputy Mary White, and her ministerial colleagues expressed sympathy for the community after the death of Toyosi. These expressions were well meant but how can a community of 2,000 houses and 5,000 people be left without permanent facilities or opportunities for teenagers to play sports and attend school together? That is not a recipe for integration.

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