Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am very pleased the Minister is present to answer me directly. I refer to Lusk community college which was built approximately three years ago. In years one and two the pupils were accommodated in classrooms, but in year three they were accommodated in a prefabricated building. Unfortunately, the second phase of the school has not been identified and we do not know when this will occur. This also applies to the third phase and more prefabs are to be built. Obviously, therefore, the school is expanding.

I was driving home only the other day when I passed yet another development in Lusk. That is good news and it is great that people are moving to lovely north County Dublin, but, unfortunately, it will bring with it additional pressures on the school system. There is no gym in the school in question. The local sports clubs, namely, the GAA, athletics and soccer clubs, are coming together to spearhead an initiative, under the heading of Lusk 2020, that will involve building adjacent to the school. Obviously, we want to be in a position to tackle issues such as childhood obesity and associated problems, but this will not be possible in an expanding school with no gym available.

I will not need the full four minutes because my question is very simple. When will we see the next phases of the school project commence? It is not acceptable that pupils are being accommodated in prefabs. This issue has been raised with me by a number of constituents. We happened to be compiling a petition on the reduction of Garda services and the closure of a Garda station when the issue of the school was raised with us by several people in the area. They want to know when the school will be built. They are not happy that their children are being accommodated in prefabs.

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