Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. First, I want to recognise the work of Ms Patricia McPhillips who retired as principal on Friday after 39 years in Coolmine Community School, Blanchardstown. She told us that she came for only one year and it is a testament to the ethos and culture of Coolmine Community School that she stayed for so long. I know how special that culture and ethos is because my mum also taught in the school.

Ms McPhillips was a principal who put her heart and soul into Coolmine Community School and has left her mark on the lives of thousands of young people in our community, and they on hers. I sincerely thank her for her service. It is sad she is leaving while the roof saga is ongoing, which I will outline today. Whatever is said today, we should all agree it is not safe or sensible that buckets are a permanent feature on school corridors, the busiest thoroughfare in the school. There are 1,000 pupils moving between classrooms every 40 minutes. This is a serious health and safety issue that the school has been living with for two years.

The timeline begins in 2014 when the school got a new roof. In 2016, it needed refurbishment and in 2022, the leaks began again which initiated the presence of the famous buckets. This time last year, the school started its process of applying for emergency works. In April, revisions were made and requested which the school did. The school then applied again for emergency works, costing €133,000. I believe this was recently rejected on the basis that the school should revert to the 2016 contractor. I do not believe the contractor did a satisfactory job on the roof but at the same time, it is a very difficult position for the school to chase a contractor while the school lives with the disruption and the potential safety issues for its pupils and staff.That decision should be revised and the emergency works should be authorised so the work can be done.

I have seen a letter from the trustees of the school, who have met the board of management about the works. They put together a compelling case. The last paragraph of the letter simply states that the school may have passed the point of the existing building being fit for purpose. I would say that it is not that it may have. It definitely has. This school was due a new school building 25 years ago and it never materialised. Meanwhile, down the road there is a new school building that cost in the region of €30 million. My research has shown that the school has seen investment of €3.5 million for capital works over the past ten years. All the school is asking for is €133,000 to deal with a legacy issue that must be addressed.