Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. I note the Department states a significant amount of work has been done but I do not believe that is felt on the ground by the school community.The reality is that it has taken a year for the programme manager to put together the procurement process for the multidisciplinary design team. The tender documents have only gone out now. There is a very clear issue. The school needs clarity on when it is going to get a building. We understand the design team will only be appointed next year, which means it will be many years before the school will have a building. We need greater clarity on dates from the Department. More importantly, we need a commitment that it will be done in a speedy fashion. The other side of this for Gaelscoil Áine is that I regularly meet parents who are trying to decide whether to send their children to Gaelscoil Áine based on its current location on Mobhi Road when it may be in its new location in Whitehall. The two locations are quite different. My experience of this school project to date is that the Department has been extremely slow. It has dragged its heels. We need to see much quicker progress on this school campus. It will be fantastic when it is done but it is taking way too long.