Shane Curley (Fianna Fail)

Ar dtús, guím gach rath ar Martin agus Bridget agus iad ag éirí as a bpoist. Best of luck to Martin Hughes in his new role. Yesterday, I visited Carrabane National School outside Loughrea in County Galway. The school has been waiting 20 years for a new school building and it cannot wait any longer. It is a dangerous situation. The floors are collapsing in many of the eight prefabs. The roof in one of the classrooms has fallen in. Thankfully, this happened during the summer holidays when the kids were not there. God forbid what would have happened if they were. The school is situated on an 80 km/h regional road with zero parking facilities. The school also has serious sewerage and electrical issues.

The school has a proud history of inclusive education in Carrabane. Twenty years ago, it was the first ever school to have a special class in County Galway, outside the city boundary. Ten years later, a second special class was introduced. The school has been proactive in its inclusivity. However, the school has been through the mill. A few years ago, the school achieved stage 3 tender approval only for the builder to pull out at the last minute. The planning lapsed and the school had to re-apply. The school now has full planning permission and a developer ready to go. It just needs the green light. The school cannot wait any longer. I appreciate that the Minister, Deputy McEntee, inherited this debacle and it is an ongoing issue that she did not create; it is not of her doing. I urge the Minister, in the school capital programme, to now approve Carrabane National School in the latest round of school capital. It is high time for the school to get what it deserves, which is a brand new school building with proper parking facilities and adequate spaces for children to learn, so that we have a new generation of people coming through our education system who learn properly.