Eileen Lynch (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. It is great to see pupils from a school local to her here today to hear that these projects do eventually happen. It is good to know that some progress is being made. However, it is incredibly disappointing that the speed at which it is moving is glacial. As I said, planning was granted two years ago, for November. The funding was awarded five years ago. There was talk about this school for many years prior to that. The delivery of it is incredibly important. The school is a hub in mid-Cork. It is servicing the entire hinterland of Coachford, which is a massive area. It has fantastic staff and students. Their results speak for themselves and they deliver year on year. The importance of this development cannot be overstated. It should be expedited in any way that it can.

Coachford is one of the biggest villages in mid-Cork. A primary school is located very close to the secondary school. In fact, people have to drive past the primary school to get to the secondary school campus and they are across the road from each other. The primary school has been selected for Safe Routes to School. As part of that programme, the delivery of safer walkways and safer footpaths is being delayed because the school is being told that this cannot progress until the secondary school progresses. According to the Minister of State's reply, that is still quite a way off.