Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)

In the short time I have, I want to raise the issue of special school places in County Laois. The Saplings school in Graiguecullen had to move out of the building it was in. It is now located in the village of Killeshin in prefabs. The construction work started on a new school in March 2023, However, after ground works were carried out and the walls were built on the greenfield site at Fruithill, provided by Laois County Council, work stopped in late 2023. The school was told that work would resume but no details were given. Two years have passed. I am aware that funding for this project is not provided by the Department of Education, but it needs to be progressed. The funding was provided by the immigrant investor programme handled by the Department of Justice. This must be sorted out. That programme is now closed, but the Saplings school is only half built. The project needs to be got up and running again. The application was made in the pre-Covid years, so the building costs have escalated massively. That is the reality. As I understand it, €4 million was allocated by the Department of Justice. We have a big problem with funding, but the Department of Justice cannot fund it because the programme to which I refer is closed. It cannot be done through private donations because there is a gap of between €2.6 million and €3 million. The school, which has 30 special, high-dependency students, cannot raise in the region of €3 million. Those are the facts. Currently, the school is located in Killeshin village in prefabs. The principal's office is in an adjacent cloakroom in the local community hall. The site where the new school is to be built has bushes and weeds growing up around it. I ask the Minister of State and his officials to come back to me on this matter.

In the context of an issue I raised regarding St. Francis school, I acknowledge that the two modular classrooms are being provided. I acknowledge the Minister of State's work on that.

8 o’clock

I know I raised it with the Minister of State before and I acknowledge that, but the Saplings school, at the other end of county, needs help and I ask him to come back to me on it.

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