Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. Parents will be very relieved to hear the guarantee that there will be a school place for each of the children. We now need this to happen quickly so parents will know a solution will be put in place quickly if they receive refusals at the end of this week or early next week. In Greystones, and indeed in the north Wicklow area, these solutions have taken an awfully long time. It can be the following May or July before parents actually know what school their children will be going to. That is not fair to the children and parents, or indeed to the schools. I ask that the solutions be outlined and that parents be given clarity on when this will happen. I ask that the Department and Minister engage with me and other public representatives in the area to ensure we are kept abreast of developments, in addition to the schools.

The Minister of State said the pressures are in part due to some schools reducing their number of places. This is the case but it is completely beyond the responsibility of the schools. They simply do not have the infrastructure, classrooms and ability to accommodate the children, and they have worked really hard to ensure parents are supported in respect of the decision and that local representatives are kept informed so they could bring a problem to the attention of the Minister.

There are several school projects that seem to be going far too slowly. In October, I was told the full build for Greystones Community College, the 1,000-student unit, would done for quarter 2 of 2025. The latest update from the Department, on 17 November, indicates it will be early 2026. If that is the case, we will be back here again next year and parents will be coming to us again with no school places. Therefore, we need to see the school projects for both Greystones Community College and Temple Carrig School expedited so places can be provided for the following year.

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