Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. Tyrrelstown is one of the youngest, fastest-growing and most diverse communities not just in Dublin West, but in the entire country. According to the 2016 census, 35% of the population were aged 15 or under and 40% of people living there were born outside the State. Residents have identified a major issue in the area to do with the provision of secondary school places. In particular, I thank Tyrrelstown Residents Community Council for its work on this matter. A report that was done during the Covid crisis, Tyrrelstown, Our Future, showed that the number one issue identified by people was the lack of a second secondary school in the area.

The Belgree and Mount Eustace estates have added approximately 2,000 residential units to the area over the past 15 years. Le Chéile Secondary School and four primary schools were opened to support that development. Over the past few years, more than 4,000 units have been in development across the areas of Tyrrelstown, Mulhuddart, including Church Fields, and the whole Blanchardstown local electoral area. Thus far, there are no schools to support that increase. Le Chéile Secondary School was oversubscribed this year by 34%. This is an area in which social cohesion is needed. There are not enough facilities and supports for young people. I recently attended the opening of The Penthouse, which is a fantastic new facility in Tyrrelstown for Foróige. We have put a lot of work into achieving that. There are not enough after-school activities or childcare provision. The area is growing at a fast pace but the provision of the social infrastructure that is required is not keeping pace.

A ten-acre site has been identified for use near Hollywoodrath and Bay Meadows. Even though a second secondary school for the area has always been identified as a necessity, an application for planning has gone in for a primary school on that site. Moreover, two further locations have been identified in the vicinity for primary schools. However, we are not seeing movement on a secondary school. There is the further complexity that the campus on which Tyrrelstown Educate Together National School, St. Luke's National School - fantastic schools with brilliant staff - and the community centre are located is part of the mess involving Western Building Systems. The primary school that is proposed to be built on the ten-acre site will be used to facilitate the movement of pupils from their current schools while they are being remediated. The site will potentially not be used as a primary school for another year or two years. This means we will not see any schools being opened in the next 12 to 24 months and there is nothing on the horizon about a new secondary school, even though it has been well flagged to everybody that one is needed.