Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her reply and am glad to hear that substantial work is going on regarding this school. I fully appreciate and understand the commercial sensitivities surrounding land acquisition and believe that politicians should avoid discussing that issue in the context of schools.

The Minister appreciates the urgency of this matter. The school is under the patronage of the Church of Ireland and is the only such school to have opened in recent times, as I understand it. It performs a very important role. Many of the schools in the area have been provided with new buildings and new accommodation, although I am not suggesting that everything is perfect in County Meath. While I would not go so far as to say that St Peter's has been left behind, it has not been the prime focus of the Department in the context of south County Meath. I would like to see the Minister give the school the focus it deserves and I am confident she will do so. I look forward to progress being made. I hope that by raising this matter in the Seanad, I can help to move matters along. I am aware that some of my party colleagues intend to raise the issue in the Dáil and that Councillor Damien O'Reilly will be raising it at local and national level.