Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am sure the Tánaiste is as concerned as I am by the enormous slow-down in the schools building programme particularly for older schools that are due to be completely rebuilt. We have children facing into the rest of the winter in freezing cold conditions in old buildings, which are no longer fit for purpose, and prefabs. Last year the capital programme for schools was €334 million. This year the Government has only provided €338 million. It is an increase of €4 million or €5 million and perhaps a few million more by the end of the year. DEIS schools and traditional parish schools are being buried under a welter of new technical provisions with no help from the Department. Often they do not have the resources or technical expertise in the school community. Will the Government help these schools out of the hole they are in? They are seeing new schools in Dublin 15 and Lucan, yet they are staying in old schools that are not fit for purpose.

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