Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. As she knows, the works that can be undertaken under the minor works scheme include maintenance and small-scale improvements to school buildings and grounds. However, many schools are finding that the costs have risen substantially and they are seeing a huge shortfall. The Minister has seen in areas such as housing, and in regard to all grants, that the costs of buildings and materials have now gone up by so much. I am asking her if she will now allow this extra funding to go towards this. I speak to a lot of schools. I want to welcome the grant she has announced for 2024 and 2025. That is very important. Yet, given the scale of things, we really need more funding, because of the costs of materials and the works that need to be done.

There is also a school in Carlow that built a sensory room. It was funded by donations that came from the school’s own community. It is in County Carlow and it is a very small community. It cannot keep going back to the community to look for funding to finish it. Is it being considered and included in the minor works grant? We need a lot more communication.

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