Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister knows, Scoil Mochua is a Central Remedial Clinic, CRC, school in Clondalkin. It is unique in that not only is it a school but also has on-site therapeutic support and interventions provided by the CRC. There are 74 pupils from a wide range of localities, electoral constituencies and counties. The pupils are children with special needs including those with multiple disabilities. I visited the school three times over the last months. The quality of the effort by the teachers, board and parents is just remarkable. Deputy Curran and I met three of the pupils, who gave a presentation. These are remarkable children who are overcoming all sorts of obstacles placed in their way in their everyday lives. In addition to that, they are in a school in which the conditions are frankly Dickensian. Not only is there not enough room for the facilities; there are not adequate toilet facilities, cooking or eating facilities or facilities for children to exercise.

Our request is very simple. It is that this project be lifted out of the current capital programme up to 2021 and brought forward. The school has the land and the support from the local authority. It has support from the local community and cross-party support. I urge the Minister to visit the school to see for himself at first hand the conditions.

There is a further frustration. A number of us in this House have been raising the matter with the Minister through parliamentary questions over the last months, seeking information. I was told in replies in May, June and September that additional information had been requested from the school by the Department and had yet to arrive. In case that is going to be part of the Minister's answer today, it is not the case. The information that I was told was required over the summer had been provided in May. The information that I was told in September was required by the Department had been provided in August. The Department has all the information. The Minister has all the information. Because of the special needs of these children and the poor state of the school, we are urging the Minister to lift it out of the capital programme and bring it forward to let these children get the quality of education they so rightly deserve.

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