Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I am very concerned that since the new Government came to office, the capital programme at primary and secondary level has been slowed down. In much more difficult financial times, the previous Government put a great deal of effort into getting new schools built and older schools completely rebuilt throughout the country to provide the best environments for students, teachers, families and communities as well as to provide local employment. When asked about this issue previously, the Minister has gone back to the time when Deputy Jan O'Sullivan was in office. As the Minister has acknowledged, she properly got a huge number of projects under way, as was needed in a country with a huge growing population of children at primary and secondary level.

Frankly, in the hiatus between the formation of the new Government and the Minister's appointment, and subsequently, the Department officials appear to have decided to turn off the tap and placed St. Mochta's in Dublin 15 - a school I know particularly well and a project which has been ten years in the making and which, because of the financial collapse and other events, has experienced unfortunate delays - in a kind of limbo. Those officials decided to send letters - I do not believe the Minister saw them but if the did, perhaps he might indicate same - stating that the school might not get funding next year or the year after. That is not good enough. The Minister has a responsibility in this regard. If he needs extra funding, as I think he does, he needs to go to the Minister for Finance, procure it and ensure that these vital projects get under way.

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