Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chair and I also thank the Minister of State for the reply. Unfortunately, we are not hearing anything new in the reply the Minister of State has given us today. These are the same replies that all public representatives who have been pursuing this issue have been receiving because it is a very significant one for us all in south Kildare. It is the same reply as the one we received one year ago which referred to the Department looking at, and talking to patrons about, additional places. Yet the pupils and their parents in south Kildare are still waiting on news on the 40 places and are trying to get places for September.

Will the Minister of State please go back to the Minister for Education and to the Department and ask them to be more forthcoming as to what is actually happening in south Kildare? We cannot continue to receive the same answer, year after year, month after month, on places. This was known back in 2014 and 2015, when the figures were brought to the Department, yet we are still looking at schools two years down the line, which are nonetheless very welcome. We need to get answers now, to solve this problem, to talk to patrons and ensure those who need places in south Kildare have them come September. We cannot wait any longer, but I thank the Minister of State for her reply.