Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for facilitating the Members from north Kildare on this particular issue, which arose from a public meeting we had with the various school authorities in Celbridge in the past week. As we are all aware, heretofore Celbridge has experienced considerable pressure in terms of an increased population and will continue to so do for the foreseeable future. St. Raphael's Special School in Celbridge is a very old school, which is totally outdated. It is an unfortunate place for pupils and staff to work in and to operate in with job satisfaction. This school has been a matter of concern for up to ten years. It was hoped to make provision for it previously, but that did not happen for a variety of reasons. We hope it can be expedited now and that it and other schools in the area can be accommodated in the fastest time possible in order to ensure a high standard of accommodation for all of the children at primary and post-primary school in the area. I accept that Rome was not built in a day. We are not talking about Rome; we are talking about children with special needs and their parents and the reassurance that they require. There is also a requirement to associate this issue with the local authority because roads provision in the area will have a bearing on the location of the alternative schools and the resolution of traffic management problems that have existed for some years. We ask that these matters would be treated with extreme urgency and we look forward to the response.

Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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I thank Deputy Durkan for sharing this Topical Issue with the north Kildare Teachtaí Dála. We had a meeting on Monday evening with the principals and representatives from St. Raphael's Special School, Celbridge Community School and St. Patrick's National School. They have located a site. I am anxious to assist these schools, which go above and beyond every single day, but especially in the past six months with Covid. In the case of St. Raphael's, some of our most vulnerable and important citizens receive their education there. The school at the moment is grossly neglected and the buildings have certainly seen better days, decades ago, but they still provide a magnificent service. A new school is needed.

The school gave us a great presentation the other night outlining its needs and plans. A site has been located but road access is a main impediment. We have an Oireachtas Members meeting with Kildare County Council tomorrow morning and we will certainly try to bring it up. I urge the Minister of State, and everybody involved, to make this happen, to heed the schools and to provide the services that are desperately needed in terms of vital infrastructure and otherwise. We are blessed in Kildare to have school principals with such skill, devotion and vision and, above all else, the heart they need to provide great school communities for the wider community. It is a privilege to represent them.

We take a census every few years. When I was a councillor on Kildare County Council, Maynooth University was involved in the All-Island Research Observatory census data. We know that where new houses are built, children come next. It would be great if we could plan ahead and make sure children do not have to go to school in deplorable conditions. I hope we can work this out.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Is Deputy Lawless here? No. I call on the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, to respond.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputies Durkan and Cronin for so eloquently outlining the issues faced by St. Raphael's school and the details of a public meeting, of which I was not aware, concerning the issues St. Raphael's in particular has been facing. The Deputies will be pleased to hear that a building project to provide a new school building for St. Raphael's is included in the Department’s school building programme. As was mentioned, a site is required for that purpose. At present, the Department is at a very advanced stage in the process of acquiring a suitable site, which is located at Donaghcumper. When this has been acquired, the architectural planning process for the new school can be initiated. In the meantime, the Deputies will be aware that my Department approved three temporary classrooms for the school in May 2020. The project has been devolved to the school for delivery. I understand that a decision on the planning application is due shortly. When that is secured and the accommodation is tendered, the school will submit a tender report with a recommendation to my Department for approval.

It is important to me, as the very first Minister of State with responsibility for special education, that we look after children with special needs. Education is a right and it should be vindicated as such. We must look after the most vulnerable in society and that includes children with special needs. In recognition of that, 20% of the Department's budget, or €2 billion, is dedicated to special education. Since 2011, we have increased the number of special classes by 235%. We have gone from approximately 548 special classes to approximately 1,800 such classes. That is progress. This year alone, we have 197 new special classes and approximately 189 of those are autism spectrum disorder, ASD, special classes. Notwithstanding this investment, we are always looking to increase the provisions we make for children with special needs by adding to an existing school, setting up a new special school, setting up a special class or integrating children into the mainstream.

The National Council for Special Education does a significant amount of work and has overall responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on education provision for children with special needs. At this stage, it has well-established structures in place for engaging with schools and parents. It is important that we get the co-operation of schools when we are trying to expand a school or improve it. I clearly heard what the Deputies said about the existing facilities, in particular at St. Raphael's school, not being in any way sufficient.

Therefore, I am glad a new site is required for a school campus development in order to cater for the permanent needs of St. Patrick's National School, Celbridge Community College and St. Raphael's Special School. As I stated, the Department is at a very advanced stage in the process of acquiring a suitable site located at Donaghcumper.

I can confirm that agreement in principle has been reached with a landowner for the acquisition of that site and that ongoing work is progressing in respect of the technical matters that are crucial to the delivery of this acquisition. We are, of course, continuing to engage actively and regularly with both Kildare County Council and the landowner, who is currently preparing a master plan for the site as a whole. I note what the Deputies have said about roads and infrastructure in the environs.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for her helpful reply. My immediate response is that the location, site and infrastructure will be determined in the first instance by the local authority and its road traffic management proposals. A previous proposal was unveiled a year or so ago and it was not acceptable because it did not deal with the traffic problems at all. It is important to remember the location of the site for the schools in question will be determined to some extent by the location of the roads, hence the importance of that element.

The Ceann Comhairle will know the importance of St. Raphael's Special School in Celbridge to special needs children over many years, catering for north Kildare, west Dublin and further afield. Tremendous work has been done in very difficult circumstances in a building that was constructed in the 1960s. It is therefore of vital importance that the project be moved ahead to provide that facility to the school and the other schools that require a permanent location in the shortest possible time. We should minimise delays because of the urgency and the special needs element.

I ask the Minister of State, in the first instance, to make contact with the local authority to iron out any problems that may exist. We will also have to help the local authority come to a conclusion on how fast it will be able to deliver the goods in terms of alternative traffic routes.

Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for her response and I wonder if I could get it in writing. The meeting between Oireachtas Members and representatives of Kildare County Council will go ahead in the morning and I will try to raise this matter. Will the Department also put on a bit of pressure and stress the importance of the infrastructure that will be required for this proposed site in Celbridge? I know the other Teachtaí Dála who are not here know how important this matter is. I urge everybody to make this happen and provide the services that are so desperately needed. I used to work in Celbridge and I know many of the teachers and special needs assistants in the school. The conditions are really bad and we must get on urgently with the case. We must move heaven and earth to get this done as soon as possible. I thank the Minister of State again for her response.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputies for shining a light on the matter because it is important that we look after children with special needs as best we can. I want to try to expedite the process as much as I can and it remains an absolute priority for me and the Department to progress the acquisition. Unfortunately, due to the very specific and commercially sensitive nature of the site acquisition, I am not able to elaborate further on the issue. The Deputies can rest assured that the project is being given priority and our full attention.

When the current technical appraisal process is deemed satisfactory, the acquisition will advance to the legal conveyancing stage, when draft contracts can be prepared and legal due diligence can be undertaken in respect of the proposed transaction. It is expected that at that stage, the project to deliver the new school accommodation can simultaneously progress to the architectural planning stage. I assure all parties that they will be kept apprised of progress on this priority project.

The process is very complex and subject to the completion of successful negotiation and conveyancing processes, as I have said. It is not possible to give Deputies a definitive timeframe for the completion of the acquisition, although I would like to. My officials and I will endeavour to bring the process to a conclusion as soon as possible. I expect this to be sooner rather than later.

I appreciate the fact that both Deputies are caring for their community and they have taken the time and trouble to engage not just with Kildare County Council but with the schools, constituents and parents. They have attended public meetings, and it shows that they care about these children with special needs, who are often forgotten. I commend the Deputies on this.