Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I too commend the Labour Party on its very timely motion. Many schools across the State will be disappointed and anxious at this time because of the delay over construction. One particular school in my constituency is the Holy Family Community School in Rathcoole. It was built in the 1980s for 500 pupils and now has 1,000 pupils. Rathcoole is a burgeoning area that has seen massive growth in both construction and people, which is very welcome. Residents, pupils and teachers want to know about the construction of a new build. That is very important. This was at an advanced stage. Pupils and teachers had thought the work was going to begin very soon. It has been thrown into jeopardy as regards new construction. These educational spaces are just not conducive to a workplace. Some of the conditions that pupils and teachers find themselves in are pretty unbelievable in the 21st century. Some schools are outdated and antiquated. That is not me being negative. Just down the road from Rathcoole are some amazing schools the State has built in the past 15 years: beautiful aesthetic buildings, beautiful space and beautiful educational builds. The schools will want to know when Rathcoole in this instance will get the go-ahead in respect of construction. A number of other schools are in the same position, including Coláiste Pobail Fóla and Gaelscoil Lir in Saggart and Citywest. These are also areas that have seen massive growth in people, which is a good thing but people want to see schools and other construction in place.

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