Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I raise again, as many others have, the issue of school buildings. That so many Deputies have stood up to raise this today shows that it is a very significant issue. The Educate Together Secondary School in Harold's Cross that the children of many parents in my constituency attend was included in lot 6, which was due to go to tender in December but that tender process has stopped. At the moment, Harold's Cross has substandard prefabricated classrooms, no PE facilities and no dining area. These works also need to proceed as a matter of urgency because there is a timeline for completing the school and taking applications for future years. How can the school authorities take applications from parents when building work has not started? It is supposed to be finished for September two years and they are promising that children leaving the Educate Together national schools should be able to have places in it. Can I get a commitment from the Minister to bring the tendering process forward? Many Deputies are raising this issue. It highlights the serious problem with school building at the moment.

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