Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response, but I know it was in the five-year building programme. The students, staff and local community also know this. That is why the council designated the site and why planning was agreed. That is also why the local authority made a commitment to a contract to provide a link road. The Minister of State should not tell me what I already know. I know those two schools were among the 15 approved. I also know there was a service level agreement between the Department and the OPW. I know the OPW agreed a tender document and sent it to the Department.

What I cannot understand, however, is why all of a sudden the Minister of State is saying it will be built within the five-year programme. It is far removed from the commitments that he, his party and the Government made to the people of that town when they said it would be up and running in September this year. That is far removed from the commitments the principals made to the staff, the community and parents when they referred to the enrolment prospects for September 2013. What about the people who enrolled their children for ASD classes? The Minister of State should explain the delay. Is there a problem with funding? Did the Department not provide adequately for these schools which were given commitments? I want straight answers. I do not want to hear that they will be built within the five-year programme. Everybody knew that. The Minister of State was glad to announce that they would be built by September 2013. He asked the principals, boards of management, the local authority and the community to live up to his expectations. They did so but the Minister of State should now live up to theirs. He should take the responsibility he has been given by the Taoiseach and live up to the commitments he has made. God knows, he has made enough U-turns in the last two years. He should be honest and tell me what is causing the delay. If we know what the delay is, let us deal with it and put the facility in place this year rather than within the next four years.

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