Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the pupils from St. Columba's National School in Cork. I hope to meet them after this session.

Ní aontaím leis an Teachta. Bíonn suas le €14 billiún á chaitheamh ag an Rialtas gach aon bhliain anois. Tá an-chuid foirgneamh scoile, tograí sláinte agus tithíochta curtha i bhfeidhm ar fud na tíre. I do not agree with the Deputy's overall narrative in respect of what has been probably the most extensive building of schools, primary care centres, hospital facilities and public facilities across the country. We have provided thousands of beds in our healthcare sector since the Government was formed, the vast majority on time and within budget, and the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire is a very good example of that.

We have had the largest schools building programme in a generation over the past four years, and the Deputy did not reference all the schools that came in on budget and on time, with exceptional standards of quality now. I recently opened an Educate Together school in Douglas, Cork, and I invite her to visit that school to see the standard, the spec and the quality of provision. Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal in Blarney is another example. It is a new post-primary school with accommodation for 1,000 pupils, including four new classrooms for special education, at a total estimate of €31 million. The Deputy spoke about Limerick. The Educate Together there is a new 1,000 post-primary school, completed for €35 million. The extension of St. Conleth and Mary’s Primary School in Newbridge, comprising 18 new classrooms and four classrooms for children with special educational needs, was completed with an investment of €24 million. The Central Mental Hospital in Portrane was also completed on time and on budget.

The Deputy might be interested to hear that yesterday, I visited Shanganagh. I dug the site at Shanganagh two years ago. It is a Land Development Agency project. Close to 600 houses are now complete on time and within budget. I know that Sinn Féin wants to get rid of the Land Development Agency, change it and so on, even though it has 14,000 houses planned to 2028. Sinn Féin's proposals for more delay and disruption and for changing the remit are what give rise-----

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