Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing this debate to proceed this evening.

In 1996, the Department of Education amalgamated two schools in my constituency in Ballinasloe, County Galway, to become Scoil Chroí Naofa. This was done with the understanding of the Department of Education that a new school building would be provided. That was 29 years ago.

There have been design teams appointed at several stages, planning permissions have been received and extended, and stage 2(b) submissions have been made - the latest submission to the Department is the third one to date. In 2016, the Department of Education informed the school's board of management that the new school would be going to construction that year, almost a decade ago. There has been false dawn after false dawn for this project and we are no further on. I met with the principal of the school earlier this year and at that point, the stage 2(b) submission was being prepared and was later submitted in March of this year. The latest update I have from the Department is that it is being reviewed.

There are currently 300 children enrolled in the school with a growing waiting list that cannot be touched without additional capacity being made available. The school is unique in that it has been designated a DEIS band 2 school and has been since the status commenced in 2006. The school has three special classes; two for children with developmental language delay and one for children with autism. There would and will be capacity for two autism classes in the new school building. We know, of course, about the demand for special classes and the number of children and families who are left seeking special classes all the time. It is no different in Ballinasloe, where this school's catchment area feeds into Counties Galway, Roscommon and Westmeath. It is a very large catchment area.

The school is located across two buildings on opposite sides of a very busy road. It is on Society Street with traffic coming in and out of Ballinasloe and is one of the main entrances and exits out of the county town. This is really dangerous. Frankly, it is incredible in this day and age that one school is spread across two locations across the road from each other on a very busy road. One building dates back to the 1930s while the second was built in the 1970s. It is a single block with no insulation and single-pane windows. Due to the school being in limbo for the past 20 plus years, it has limited itself in carrying out remedial works because the understanding was that the new school was coming.

Energy bills account for the entire capitation grant every single year. According to Pobal, the Ballinasloe urban area - which is spread across several areas - is categorised as extremely disadvantaged. This is a community and town that is long overdue a new school. The length of time this has gone on is totally unacceptable. I want to see movement on this as a local representative for the area. I want to see this project moved to tender and into construction.

Almost 30 years after the commitment and promise was first made, the Government should look to move on the stage 2(b) submission which has been with the Department since March. The school needs to know when this is happening and have some kind of timeline so it knows this new build is coming. It has gone on for far too long.

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it gives me an opportunity, on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth, to outline to the Dáil its current position on Scoil Chroí Naofa in Ballinasloe, County Galway. This project is included in the Department of Education and Youth’s construction programme which will be delivered under the national development plan, NDP, as part of the Project Ireland 2040 framework. The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning — stage 2(b) detailed design - where the design team has secured all statutory applications and is preparing the suite of tender documents. The brief for the project is to provide a new 16-classroom primary school with additional classrooms for pupils with special educational needs. The stage 2(b) submission has been received in the Department for review by the multidisciplinary team, and this review is currently under way. On completion of stage 2(b) design, a meeting of all stakeholders will be organised. On completion of the review, the Department will advise the school authorities and their design team of the progression of the project, including comments for the design team's attention regarding the stage 2 (b) submission report.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. It is welcome that the stage 2(b) submission made by the school is getting attention from the Department but what is important here is that we move things along as quickly as possible. After 29 years, the school and the entire school community have waited long enough. At this point, they have been through five principals while waiting for this school. It is a difficult position to put a school principal and board of management in, with some 300 children enrolled in the school and a growing waiting list. It is also difficult for a school that very much wants to do more for special education by opening special classes and being proactive in making that happen for children in the community.

I am constantly contacted by parents who are struggling to receive and access a special class place for their child. In this case, I was told about some children last year in south Roscommon whose siblings were in the school in Ballinasloe but their brothers and sisters could not attend because the school is at capacity. The real reason - I emphasise the need for progress on this - is the position the school is in across two sides of a busy road.

I again press upon the Minister of State that while I appreciate there has been movement relating to the stage 2(b) submission, this is the third 2(b) submission to go in and this really needs to be the last one. We need to see progress. We need a timeline for when we will see this project go to tender. We need to see the sod turned and construction begin. This has gone on far too long. Many of the children of Ballinasloe should have seen this school and of course, many of them will have gone on to secondary school and far beyond that by the time we get to this point. Again, there is a safety concern. I would appreciate if the Minister of State would bring this back to the Minister.

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I will bring that back to the Minister on the Deputy's behalf. I know there were delays with this relating to a change to increase the number of classrooms, as well as proposals by the local authority to alter the road layout and access. This necessitated a new planning application, as I am sure the Deputy is well aware. The final grant of that planning permission for the project, as currently designed, was received from the local authority in September 2023.

Under Project 2040, the Department of Education and Youth is investing well in excess of €5 billion during this period to add capacity and develop and upgrade school facilities. The Department of Education and Youth has a strong track record of delivery of school building projects and this was again seen in 2023, notwithstanding the wider construction sector environment. Since 2020, the Department has invested in the region of €5.9 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of more than 1,350 school building projects. The Department continues to support the delivery of extensive schools infrastructure programme which incorporates best practice.

I again thank Deputy Kerrane for raising the question and for giving me the opportunity on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy McEntee, to reassure her that the Department is conscious of the need to continue to support the operation of the school system and intends to provide clarity for individual schools mentioned by the Deputy and its school building project as quickly as possible.