Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am extremely disappointed to hear the Minister of State read out another waffle from the Department. The Department is currently assessing the options. Just imagine that. I have a document here from December 2022, when the Department promised 12 modular classrooms to deal with the accommodation. In February 2023 the Department of Education changed it and listed five modular classrooms, citing a planning issue. In March 2023 approval was received for five modular classrooms to be ready for September 2023. Where are we now? In the dying days of this Government and indeed 2024. In June 2023 there was confirmation that these modular classrooms would not be on-site by September 2023. I understand the school has not received any engagement to date as to when the modular classrooms are going to be built. It is scandalous. I thought the Minister of State was going to have answers today. I protested yesterday when the Minister was not coming and we were told the Minister of State would have the answers. He has no answers. The Department is assessing it. How can the Department and the Minister stand over this? Special children, daoine óga speisialta, have been treated like this. We actually need a new special needs school in Clonmel, our capital town, for the special children in south Tipperary, but that is not for today. Today it is about Cashel. Scoil Aonghusa, Ms Keyes Ryan and her excellent team, both teachers and carers, need to be supported. Above all they need certainty, not to be looking into a black hole of moving paper, assessments and more assessments.

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