Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for facilitating the Members from north Kildare on this particular issue, which arose from a public meeting we had with the various school authorities in Celbridge in the past week. As we are all aware, heretofore Celbridge has experienced considerable pressure in terms of an increased population and will continue to so do for the foreseeable future. St. Raphael's Special School in Celbridge is a very old school, which is totally outdated. It is an unfortunate place for pupils and staff to work in and to operate in with job satisfaction. This school has been a matter of concern for up to ten years. It was hoped to make provision for it previously, but that did not happen for a variety of reasons. We hope it can be expedited now and that it and other schools in the area can be accommodated in the fastest time possible in order to ensure a high standard of accommodation for all of the children at primary and post-primary school in the area. I accept that Rome was not built in a day. We are not talking about Rome; we are talking about children with special needs and their parents and the reassurance that they require. There is also a requirement to associate this issue with the local authority because roads provision in the area will have a bearing on the location of the alternative schools and the resolution of traffic management problems that have existed for some years. We ask that these matters would be treated with extreme urgency and we look forward to the response.

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