Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter, which is on the urgent need for approved school building projects in Dublin Mid-West to begin construction. This is something I have raised consistently in this Chamber in my tenure as a TD. As the Minister of State may be aware, we are facing a school places crisis in my constituency. As I said in the Dáil both this week and last week, we have school buildings waiting for the go-ahead for extensions and new builds for years now. We also have students who do not know which post-primary school they will go to in September.

I am really disappointed that there is no Minister from the Department of Education present, although I appreciate that the Department has provided the Minister of State with information to respond to me. Our school communities - parents, students, teachers and principals - are waiting on new builds and extensions and they are fed up waiting. Honestly, I am fed up asking for updates. It is very disappointing that in 2024 all students do not have equality of access when it comes to education. That is the reality for those who go to a school that does not have a PE hall or a woodwork or home economics room because the school is languishing on a waiting list for a new building.

Let us talk specifics. Lucan Community College applied for its new school building in 2009. The project proceeded to tender but 15 years later, they are still waiting.

Griffeen Community College had its planning application approved in February 2022 but the contact still has not been awarded. They have been accommodated in Kishoge Community College for years, and now in prefabs too. Why do we open schools if we do not have permanent homes for them? Coláiste Pobail Fóla, Saggart, is in shocking condition and is awaiting its build.

Holy Family Community School, Rathcoole, has been waiting on a new building since I went to school there. I do not want to give away my age but that is not today or yesterday. They have over 900 pupils and they are mostly in what were designed as temporary prefabs. For this coming academic year, they had 335 students apply and they can only accept approximately 180. That means siblings will be sent to different schools at this stage. Coláiste Chilliain, Clondalkin, has been promised a Gaelscoil campus to accommodate it, Gaelscoil Chluain Dolcáin and Gaelscoil na Camóige. Both Holy Family Community School and Coláiste Chilliain were asked to submit specialist detailed further information. They did so in the summer, in June in many cases, but there still has been no update from the Department. My simple question is, what is the delay?

Last year, the school building programme, as we all will be aware, ground to a halt. The Department of Education said it needed extra money to be able to cover the increased cost of building. An extra €960 million was found and was allocated but nearly a year on, we have not seen any result of that. We have not seen any progress in my constituency. Over €41 million has been assigned to Lucan and Clondalkin alone for capital investment in schools. As far as I can see, there are 19 schools at stage 3 in Dublin and nine of them are in Dublin Mid-West. That is a really small area within Dublin and it is accounting for almost 50% of school builds at stage 3. The money is there. The plans are there. The need is most certainly there. What is the delay?

In Dublin Mid-West we have so many school communities in desperate need of the hope and excitement that a new school building will bring. Why is the Department not pushing forward those plans?

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