Neale Richmond (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for having to slip outside for a moment. I am out of breath after sprinting down to the Chamber. First and foremost, I congratulate the Minister on his appointment. I am genuinely thrilled for him. It is much deserved. As a former teacher, he has a long history in this sector so I am excited about what he will bring to the role.

This might be the first time the Minister is dealing with the issue before us but he is the fourth Minister or Minister of State with whom I have raised it. Unfortunately, progress has been slow. Going through the planning process has been an eight-year campaign. Just last week, the most recent planning application was refused. It was the third such application. At this stage, the level of frustration, anger and disappointment among the school-going community in Ballinteer is the highest I have ever seen. The fact that there seem to have been no pre-planning meetings between the Department and the county council is extremely disappointing and worrying. We assumed that when this most recent application was submitted, this would, after such a delay, finally be it and that we would see the permanent school opening on the identified site off Wyckham Way. This is vitally important to the local community. There is massive development taking place in the area and there has been a dramatic growth in population. This primary school needs to open in a permanent building. It will not be needed for the first time in six or 12 months; it was needed years ago.

I do not know where we stand in respect of this matter. A meeting is due to be held in the school next week. I am sure the Minister's office has been inundated with countless parliamentary questions.I am genuinely happy that the Minister is taking this vitally important Commencement matter at such short notice. I am appealing to him and to his officials because something needs to be done. The plans for the school are sound. The planning issue that exists is very small. The Department of Education and Skills needs to intervene and to work proactively with the local authority to get this school project through. There are children in this school who will never be taught in the new school building. They have spent five or six years in prefabricated classrooms and they are now in a temporary school location in Churchtown, which is nowhere near Ballinteer. It might look quite close on a map, but the two population centres are nowhere near each other. This is possibly the most pressing education issue in my local area.

I welcome the Minister to this job. I thank him for being here for this debate. On behalf of the people of Ballinteer Educate Together national school, I ask him to make it a priority to get this project through.