Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and realise the Minister for Education and Skills unfortunately cannot be here due to issues in Donegal. He made contact about it last night, in fairness. I am calling for an update regarding the purchase of a site for a Gaelscoil in Kinsale. The Gaelscoil has been a unique and thriving part of our community for 11 years, during which, unfortunately, it has been housed in prefabs. One of these buildings had to be abandoned last year because of the condition it was in. It has been an ongoing debacle trying to secure a site for a permanent school.

Kinsale is a unique location. In the past ten years, its population has grown by 23%, which is significant when we consider our population growth nationally. The need for a permanent structure and site for the Gaelscoil has been talked about for over a decade. We have moved an awful long way along this path. We have identified a five acre site, which the local authority, as the purchasing power, and the Department have agreed is suitable. Contracts were submitted to the Chief State Solicitor's office last October. We are trying to get these contracts out to start the process, which is part of the Government's schools building programme. For that to happen, this roadblock needs to be lifted. We need to ensure the Chief State Solicitor's office signs off on the site so we can move on.

We have a unique population of students going to the school. We have 106 boys and 112 girls in the school at the moment. In this day and age, it is probably not appropriate that they should go through their childhood education in a prefab setting. We need to find a solution. The solution is to purchase the beautiful five acre site that has been identified. We need the Chief State Solicitor's office to remove these blockages so we can deliver the school for the people in the surrounding community of Kinsale.

I hope the Minister of State can give me some detail regarding what the Chief State Solicitor's office is planning to do and whether the matter can be moved forward. If not, perhaps the Minister of State would speak to me afterwards about trying to move this project forward.