Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Greystones Community College, North Wicklow Educate Together School, Blessington Community College, Gaelcholáiste na Mara in Arklow, Blessington Educate Together National School and Wicklow Town Educate Together National School are all located in my constituency of Wicklow. They have all had their permanent builds or temporary accommodation delayed, with no information being given as to when the projects might start or if they will start up again. Some schools do not know whether they will have accommodation available in September. If one looks at Blessington, we have a whole lot of four- and five-year-old children who do not know whether there will be room for them in the primary school. We have many sixth-class students who do not know if there is room for them in the secondary school. That is just not acceptable.

I understand the Minister is looking at this issue with the Minister for Finance and assessing the work programme. However, I ask the Minister of State, when he is calculating the costs of this and weighing up and balancing the books, to take into account: the human cost; the cost of the stress that is being put on students and children who do not know whether they have somewhere to go for school; and the cost that is being put on parents who are scrambling, trying to figure out where their children will go to primary or secondary school. It is incredibly invasive. When one is a parent and is worried about where one's children will go, it takes over every second of one's life. Parents spend years campaigning for schools, lobbying Deputies and the Department to try to get these schools in place and when those projects slow down and they do not know if they have places for their children, it is really stressful. I ask that the Minister of State make this child-centred, focus on the children and value the cost and stress that will be placed on children.

I do not know if it is the same throughout the country, but all of the schools I mentioned are non-denominational. It appears the delays are affecting the schools that are providing choice to our communities and to new families coming into our communities. That is something of which the Minister of State needs to be really cognisant. I ask that he does not put any more barriers in the way of parents who want a choice of ethos with regard to how their children will be educated. I also ask that the Minister of State makes sure that the Department communicates with the school. I know sometimes it goes through the patron body and does not always get passed down to the schools. Schools need to know what is happening. They need to know whether they will have their temporary accommodation in place in September or if they are permanent builds that were promised for many years, when or indeed if, they will happen. I ask the Minister of State to provide that certainty for schools.

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