Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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Go raibh maith agat. Before I start on the main topic of my contribution, because it is pertinent to the school in question, I will take a moment to acknowledge that the community of the Divine Mercy Senior National School staff, students and the wider school community have experienced a particular tragedy this week. They are in my thoughts and prayers and have the full support of the community behind them.

I wish to raise the case of a school I attended and I am proud to have done so. My alma mater was then known as Archbishop Ryan. It is now the Divine Mercy Junior and Senior national schools. I am proud to have gone to school in Balgaddy. The issue I raise is with regard to the long overdue and long-needed building project, especially for the junior school, on that campus. I have been raising this matter since being elected to this House, and even beforehand, with previous Ministers for education and departmental officials.

To put this into context, the school building that houses the junior national school is over 40 years old. It has not been allowed to go ahead with retrofitting to improve the insulation and energy rating. It is architecturally very pleasing, but it has not been possible to proceed with any upgrades on improving the quality of the insulation, the heating and the efficiency in the building and to make sure that, for example, special educational needs, SEN, classes are appropriately kitted out and that appropriate provision is made for those in the building itself. This is not something that has just been raised. I have been on the board of management of the senior school for some time and it has been a perennial issue. Since raising it, while being told it is at an advanced stage of architectural planning, stage 2b, in the answer I got in November 2025, we have been told for about six months now that we are waiting for a meeting of all stakeholders to look at the review of the overall design of the building. That review, though, has not happened.

Today, I am keen to learn where we are at with this building project between the junior national school and the senior national school. I am also asking for certainty regarding what is going to happen here. Ultimately, the question I am being asked by parents and teachers in these schools is where we are at with the project. People want to know if we are going to continue with the upgrade of the older building and allow for warmer classrooms for the children in that building now or are we going to get this meeting of the stakeholders. When will that meeting of the stakeholders happen? What will be the outcome of that meeting with the stakeholders? We cannot, for example, have a situation where there are prefabs on the grounds of this school that are no longer in use in some cases. Some of them were only listed for removal after I raised them as part of a parliamentary question. I am a bit frustrated with the building section in the Department of education that it is not giving the clarity the school is requiring in this instance, despite the fact we know and have voted for the allocation of appropriate capital spending to refurbish and refit school building projects across the country.

In my constituency, the Divine Mercy school campus is not the only school that requires attention in terms of buildings. I will be raising those other schools on the floor of the House. This is one in particular, however, where I think there is a very acute need, especially in the context of the junior school. The school authorities have not been told what the overall plan is and they cannot budget or plan accordingly to improve the quality of the overall building. Ultimately, it is not possible to improve the quality of a school that has so much in terms of the most fantastic teaching staff in it, the really committed boards of management in both cases and students who represent the new, diverse Ireland of which we are so proud. Many nationalities are represented in that school. It is located in a DEIS area and was recently awarded DEIS status on band 1 and band 2, respectively. It has contributed so much to the life of the Balgaddy community, which is a very proud one. Now, though, the schools need our support and clarity on what is happening with the building project. They need certainty and to ensure that the world-class education being delivered by the staff and the boards of management in those schools is reflected in the State's commitment to make sure they have a world-class building in which to learn and receive that education.

Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for that answer. I am a little disappointed that we still cannot give a date for this meeting of stakeholders. I note that the passage of time is attributed for the need to evolve the presentation. I hope that, in a few months' time, we are not looking at the passage of time again as being an issue why this has not progressed to a point where it is being delivered.

The boards, staff and students in Divine Mercy Junior and Senior National Schools stepped up to the plate when they were asked to provide a second special educational needs, SEN, class. They have done so in the hope they will get a new building and they have always responded positively to requests from the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, and the local special educational needs organiser, SENO, to make sure they do have adequate facilities there. They are in an area where there is a large amount of disadvantage. There is a large prevalence of children who have special educational needs. They are well aware and there is an expertise in the school in dealing with that. That is why it is really important that we give them that certainty and clarity about what this process looks like.

I hope when I ask this question again in a month's time that we will have a date for the meeting of all stakeholders that is to review this overall design. It is important that we give people confidence that the fantastic work being done in our schools by our teachers in challenging circumstances, as is the case in their building, is reflected by the Department of education. They are aware, obviously, of the constraints around the planning issue. I do not think there is anyone in that locality who will object to a brand new school building that has been at the centre of the Balgaddy community for so long and has such a proud and great name as an educational institution. It is somewhere I am proud to say that I went to and attended school and I will make it one of the central planks of my time in this House to ensure we do our damnedest to make sure they get the building and investment they deserve. I look forward to getting that certainty from the Department about when that review meeting will happen and when we will get the ball rolling finally on a long-overdue project.