Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is no point in me reading out the history of the school that the Deputy already knows because he outlined it very eloquently. It is a real pity the planning application for this much-needed and wanted school was upscuttled because it is diverse and slightly different from what we have had in the area previously. The temporary accommodation that was sorted out for recent years set the school in train to be able to move into its new site. The Deputy is well aware as to why that temporary accommodation is no longer viable from this year. This is a pity. I hear the Deputy's distress and I will certainly pass it on.

I must also tell the Deputy that in the past week a number of other sites have been identified by the patron body, Educate Together, and they are being actively pursued because of all the reasons the Deputy just cited. Nobody wants to see the school not come to fulfil its ambition. It is a great new start for the area and for the patron body. I suggest we just sit tight to explore the alternative arrangements offered to see whether any of them are viable. Alternatively, the only suggestion is the home identified in Citywest, albeit that it is not ideal, to try to ensure the school opens its doors to new pupils in 2020. I will definitely pass on all the Deputy's concerns and heartfelt angst on where we are right now.

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