Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister seems to be washing his hands of any concern for the parents and children involved. A 2,000 unit development is, by any standards, a large development. A school represents cornerstone infrastructure. The site for the school is now the marketing suite. This requires the Minister to have an open mind to enable him to do the best for children and parents.

We can go on and on about regulations and so on. The prefabs might not be in until the end of the first term. The children will be going on their Christmas holidays when the two prefabs arrive. That is simply not adequate. The Minister's predecessors were able to address these matters far faster. I believe the Minister can do the same and I imagine he would be willing to do the same, but he needs to do some work on it.

The Minister knows the area. The school in a prominent site that will link into the local district development centre. That would provide a key building in terms of community infrastructure.

The population in Pelletstown is extraordinarily diverse. There are people from all over Ireland, all over Dublin and from the rest of the world. Can the Minister not see it? Does he not have the vision as a politician to see that, as the Minister for Education and Skills, he has an opportunity to make a mark that will provide a basis for this community to flourish and prosper?

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