Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am not terribly reassured by that. The site for the Gaelcholáiste was secured in 2010 and we are now in May 2017. The Department is entirely capable of delivering a building before December 2019 on a site that has already been purchased. The potential of the school is being held back and it is not good enough to say it has to go to the back of the queue. The desire to build this school was in the system far in advance of many of the other schools which are currently funded. The Department has to progress this sooner and it will create a serious difficulty for the Gaelscoil and the Gaelcholáiste if it is not delivered. It can be done but the cost and the timescales seem to be increasing all the time, which is not acceptable.

I note the point about the Educate Together secondary school. To an extent, this is a new development.

However, it is unfair on Nagle community school that it is dealing with the consequences of the Department's failures. There is no reference to temporary accommodation being provided until the permanent site is developed. It is quite worrying that the Department's attitude is that Nagle community school will be the location for the Educate Together secondary school until the permanent site is developed. Can the Minister clarify if that is the case? If so, that is an unacceptable situation in the context of needing space for resource teaching, for an autism spectrum disorder, ASD, unit which it has been operating and various other items.

I will share the remainder of my time with Deputy Michael McGrath.

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