Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for acknowledging that I have raised this issue. I do not need to come before the House to talk to the Minister for Education because I get the opportunity to do so every week at our parliamentary party meeting. I am sending the message here to the officials in the Department of Education as well and to those people in the school building unit that Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin cannot wait any longer. We have a principal here listening to the response from the Minister of State as we speak. She kindly sent me the reply I could read out on her behalf. She is basically saying that she acknowledges what we have done and the progress made. The school, though, will not last the five years that we expect the ADAPT programme will take. We need to accelerate this process, therefore, as quickly as possible. We must ensure we are not wasting public money and spending emergency works funds now only to subsequently have to pull out stuff we have just put in. The principal in this school has been extremely diligent in how she has approached this project and who has told the State how it can save money, get new SEN classes and improve the facilities in the school.

I want the people in the building unit to listen to the principal and teachers in this school and to respond to them by telling them how long this endeavour is going to take, the process involved and by confirming that guidance will be provided through this undertaking step-by-step. I acknowledge the progress made to date, but we need to do more. I hope the Minister of State will take this message back to the Government. I know he will.

I am fundamentally committed to increasing the number of SEN places across the whole of Finglas, Santry, Ballymun and Glasnevin. I acknowledge the principals who have opened autistic spectrum disorder, ASD, classes. This is a huge improvement. Education must be for everybody. Principals can only do this, however, if they are not fighting fires on every other front. While Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin is doing a great job, it is fighting these fires.

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