Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Pelletstown Educate Together held a public meeting last night at the Royal Canal community centre, which was attended by teachers and more than 100 parents. The history of this school does not vindicate good departmental policy in terms of forward planning policy for schools. According to the parents and children, owing to a site delay, the school started out in a bunker with no natural air or light and no play space. In 2017, owing to a delay on the part of the Department in securing temporary accommodation, the school was split and some children had to be taken by bus to another school a few miles away at a cost to the Department of a couple of hundred euro per day.

The school faces a new accommodation crisis for 2019. As Deputy Burton mentioned, the responses of the forward planning section of the Department have been ambiguous. While it is positive news that a site has been secured for a permanent building, the planning application for the additional accommodation required for 2019 has not been submitted. There was a significant delay in securing temporary accommodation in 2017. We do not need evasive language or ambiguity. The feedback from the Department is that the planning application will be dealt with shortly. We all know that in Civil Service-speak "shortly" can mean weeks or months, which means delays and uncertainty for the school community of Pelletstown and Ashtown.

I ask the Minister of State to outline when the application will be submitted and to give a guarantee that this project will be progressed for September 2019. This is the feedback and certainty the teachers, pupils and parents need. Up to now, the history of this school in terms of development has not been good from a departmental perspective. It is important these issues are rectified now and that the Minister of State provides greater certainty than the answers heretofore.

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