Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this important issue of the timeline in respect of two new schools projects in Portlaoise, St. Francis special school and a new second level school. It is well known and well documented that there has been a major increase in the population in County Laois, and in Portlaoise in particular, over the last ten to 20 years. According to the last two censuses, outside of the major cities, Portlaoise was the fastest growing stand-alone town in Ireland. There has been substantial investment for schools in the town in recent years, many of which have commenced or are under construction.

I am seeking a timeline from the Minister, Deputy Bruton, in regard to the replacement building for St. Francis special school which is currently located on the Timahoe Road. This school has 90 mild to moderate educationally challenged students. It is a special school. The children who attend it are special and so, too, are the teachers but they have been in the current building a long time. As part of schools development in Portlaoise, one of the existing primary schools, St. Paul's national school, is being relocated. The patron, through the parish and the bishop, have made the St. Paul's site available for the new St. Francis special school. I hope that this site will be vacated as soon as possible.

I am asking the Minister to do everything in his power to ensure the process in respect of construction of the new St. Francis special school is progressed quickly because the St. Paul's school site will be vacated next year. Earlier today I spoke to Fr. Paddy Byrne of the board of management and he told me that the project is at initial design stage. The chairman and board of management, along with the teachers, staff, parents and pupils are looking forward to the provision of this new school as quickly as possible.

The current school building is old and includes many prefabs. New prefabs were purchased recently and I understand an application for emergency funding to allow certain works to be completed, such that the school is in a reasonable condition until such time as it is vacated, is awaiting approval. The reason I am asking about this school in particular is that most of the other school projects have either be given the go ahead or are progressing. St. Francis special school caters for children with mild to moderate educationally challenged students, who cannot be left behind. For this reason, I ask that the Minister apply pressure to ensure the timeline is adhered to.

In regard to the second level school, the Minister recently announced that the new patronage of that school will be the Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board in conjunction with a gaelscoil. I attended a meeting several months ago at which applications were being put together locally in relation to that patronage. I am pleased that this is going ahead because ultimately it was the only application submitted from the town and there is general support from everybody for it. The current CBS and Scoil Chriost Rí convent school are overflowing. I am told both schools having waiting lists of 40 students for next year.

We already have a new college in Portlaoise which is run by the ETB. It is important now that the patrons have been announced and a site has been identified at the old Centrepoint shopping centre on the Mountrath Road, which is close to Portlaoise college, that work on the new school commences as soon as possible. They are the two school projects that are in the system for Portlaoise. I urge the Minister to keep the pressure on to ensure they are progressed. I would also like to make the case for a new school for Kolbe special school which caters for students with profound physical and other challenges. There may be an opportunity for joined-up thinking in terms of the co-location of the Kolbe and St. Francis special schools on the site that will be vacated by St. Paul's national school. There is an excellent opportunity to accommodate both schools on that site.

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