Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to acknowledge the work that has been carried out by the Department in recent years. When I first became a Deputy a number of years ago school accommodation in Portlaoise was very poor. I am satisfied that at the end of this building programme Portlaoise will have the finest suite of new primary and second level schools, which will be the best in the country. The three second level schools currently in the town were built in recent years. As the Minister said, two new parish schools are being built. Over the past couple of years a new gaelscoil, and Educate Together school and a Church of Ireland school were built. This is because of the increase in population in the area and not because Laois is looking for more. There has been huge growth in the population of Laois as a result of the overflow of people from Dublin and the surrounding areas. We must have good schools to meet the needs of all of the people who come from the county or come to live in it.

It is important we keep the pressure on in regard to the projects mentioned.

6 o’clock

The Minister referred to St. Paul's and we hope it will be vacated next year and that we can move on to the demolition phase and the planning for the St. Francis special school. Due to the special needs of those students, people feel they should not be left behind. I ask the Minister to pay special attention to that.

The two new 24-classroom schools in Aughnaharna that the Minister is building as part of the parish school programme are being built as we speak. I have a genuine fear, however, that they will not be big enough and that we will be back looking for an extension. All I can hope is that the architects who have planned the two new schools to amalgamate three existing national schools at a single site have made provision such that extensions may be added quickly when the time comes. Not too many towns are getting an increase in second level schools for 1,000 people. The same is happening at primary level. I encourage the Minister to ensure that the new secondary school goes ahead as soon as possible. I make a last appeal to the Minister not to forget the Kolbe special school. They are all people with profound physical and other difficulties and they need to be looked after. They could be accommodated on the vacant site of St. Paul's, which is a matter I will come back to with the Minister on another day.

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