Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for that response. It is good to get it down on paper, especially since I had not realised that €145 million had been invested in infrastructure in County Wicklow schools. When I go around the county and see those new schools being built, such as St. Coen's in Rathnew, or St. David's, as the Minister of State referenced, I realise the advancements that have been made in school provision. The quality of those builds when they are done is incredible, as is the space that is in them. When I think back to my own school experience, these schools are incomparable.

The Minister of State mentioned the tendering process takes between eight and 12 months. Is there a way we can speed up public procurement on our projects? A school in Cork, Wicklow, Limerick or wherever will be a school with a 1,000-pupil capacity. It will be in or around that. Except for different sites with different topographical issues affecting construction, we should be getting to a standard design and speeding up the process. My concern is the length of time it will take the Department to award the contracts. Building takes time, as the Minister of State knows. I presume it takes 24 months to build a school. It is in or around 18 to 24 months. We will be in the same position. We are still seeing houses being built in Greystones, Delgany, Kilcoole and Newtownmountkennedy, which is good and what I want to see, but I am concerned that we will not provide those school places quickly enough. I urge the Minister of State to take back those concerns.

In fairness to the Department, it met with the five County Wicklow TDs. We went through this with the officials. They have engaged with us and it is good but I urge the Minister of State to bring it back to the Minister and ask that the go-ahead be given to Temple Carrig to apply for that planning permission. That is urgent. It is not a high cost to go for planning permission and have the process move along. I also ask that the awarding of the contract for Greystones Community College be speeded up. Those are my two asks.

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