Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

Other choices are available, outside the frame of reference of the Minister and Fine Gael, as to where resources could come from to enable us to do those things. They could come from the Apple tax and many other areas.

I will raise a concrete question which illustrates a point about a potential post-coronavirus environment. The Acting Chairman, Deputy Lahart, mentioned Firhouse Educate Together secondary school, which has fought a long battle to get appropriate accommodation. It has received promises that it will have a permanent building from September 2022. It had arrangements in place for temporary accommodation starting in September this year but that is no longer possible due to the coronavirus because the Gaelscoil currently using the accommodation believes it needs the extra space. The Department is telling Firhouse Educate Together secondary school that it cannot be facilitated and it will have to move to Citywest. It is not viable for a school in Firhouse to be based in Citywest. The school has a high proportion of students with additional needs who would have to travel daily back and forth to Citywest. The Department needs to step in and step up to ensure that Firhouse Educate Together secondary school is able to have a secondary school in Firhouse from September.

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