Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is nothing new in that at all. I finished my last contribution with the children's letter about the temporary accommodation and the delay with that. There is concern with all of the delay in this project.

The bigger problem is that the current situation is not suitable accommodation at all. That is why we need a new school building. I will point to the lack of an indoor hall, shortage of yard space and no real facilities. Certain fundamental aspects of normal school life have been denied to these children because they do not have a school building. It is a new school and they do not have a school building.

What the parents and the whole school community, most importantly the children themselves, need to hear is an indication from the Minister of State in terms of timelines. He said it would be quarter 4 in 2024. That is to get to tender stage, which is stage 3. What can parents expect in terms of progress after that? Is there a firm commitment that the target of quarter 4 2024 will be met for stage 3, that it will move to stage 4, construction, and then to stage 5, which is handover and final accommodation? What are the indicative timelines? Can the Minister of State give confidence to the people who are watching this or will watch it later that those timelines will be met? As I stated, a big feature of this whole project has been commitment and delay, missed targets and missed deadlines. The Minister of State will appreciate that it is hugely frustrating for the whole school community. Can he provide those assurances on quarter 4 2024 and the stages that come after it? How long will it take? When will these children be in their new school building?

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