Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)

I cannot believe I am about to say this, but right now on Dominick Street, in the heart of Dublin city centre, stands a half-built school that should be opening its doors in September. A Gaelscoil that was promised, planned and funded now lies idle behind hoardings. What is worse is the silence.

This is not a new school project. The project is a result of a 23-year struggle by parents, educators and children who fought year after year for a proper building. The community built the school from scratch in 1988 and has since seen generations of children go to school to learn in their native language in conditions that no child should ever have to learn in. Let us call this what it is. It is a failure of delivery, of care and, at this point, of respect.

I heard the principal raise concerns for over a year. I watched departmental officials assure everyone, in the clearest of terms, that the new building would be open by the 2025-26 school year. That commitment was made not just to the board of management of Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire, but also to 170 pupils and their families. Right now, the project has been paused. The site is silent. The cranes are still. The community has been left in the dark while a conciliation process plays out behind closed doors.

Yesterday we were told it is not known where the children are going to go to school. They will go to a building that was entirely unsuitable on Parnell Square to one that is only slightly more suitable, an interim solution on Cathal Brugha Street. That is not progress for the parents, families, children and the generations that went before them, and those who want to teach. It is an insult. We do not know if the building on Cathal Brugha Street will have any special classes. We know children will have to leave four times a day on their lunch break to walk from Cathal Brugha Street to Scoil Chaitríona for yard play in a school based in the Department of Education and Youth. I hope every official who looks out the window will see the failure of the State in respect of those children.

The original budget was €1 million and is now estimated at over €22 million. The delays have been blamed on unforeseen complications, namely protected structures, Luas lines and underground utilities, but anyone who knows the site knows those circumstances were not unforeseen. Rather, they were ignored. They were baked into the bones of the city and should have been built into the plan.

How did we go from a sod-turning ceremony in June 2023 to a stalled project in July 2025? That does not suggest urgency or oversight. This is not just about a school; this is about what happens when a community like ours, a working-class community which is resilient in a way in which very few others could even comprehend and wishes children to learn in the Irish language in an inner-city school, asks for something other communities take for granted, namely a proper school building, a safe and permanent space to learn and a place of pride. Instead, there has been a delay, a doubling of costs, empty timelines and another round of temporary accommodation.

I am sure the Minister of State has a response, but I hope it includes the answers to my questions. When will construction restart? Is there a date? What has the conciliation process uncovered? It is now important that we share those findings. Contract sensitivity does not come into play when the contract has ceased. Will the Department publish a new delivery timeline? Can the Minister of State assure us that will be adhered to? When does the new tender process start? Who is accountable for the doubling of the budget to €22 million and, I presume, counting?

This is not criticism for the sake of it. Most public representatives in Dublin Central have held back for obvious reasons, but that will no longer happen. This is about standing up for children and families who have been more patient than any of us could ask for. They have been more resilient than any of us could comprehend. Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire not just a line on a spreadsheet; it is a symbol of what the city can be, namely multilingual, diverse, proud of its culture and committed to its children. It deserves better than hoarding. At this point, there is absolute silence. We will continue to raise this issue every day if necessary until the parents, children and education community get the answers they deserve because they have been failed incredibly badly by the State.

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