Maria McCormack (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking this topic which is not in his Department's remit.The reason I am raising the issue of St. Francis School in Portlaoise again - everyone has heard me speak about this school in the Chamber many times - is that the vulnerable children in County Laois cannot wait any longer. This is a school that provides care for children with additional needs and there has just been one delay after another. St. Francis School in Portlaoise is doing incredible work. It supports some of the most vulnerable children in our community, who require specialist education, care and support to reach their full potential. Despite the dedication of staff and leadership, the reality on the ground is quite stark. Right now the school is trying to accommodate 20 classes in just 14 classrooms, even with two modular units recently added. It is just not sustainable. It is not fair on the staff and, more important, it is not fair on the children. This year alone, there were 50 applications for 12 places. That means dozens of children with additional needs have been left without an appropriate school place and behind every one of those numbers is a child and a family and they are under immense pressure.

In 2021, the school was promised a modular building. We are at the stage now where, finally, the stage 2b report and tender documents have been submitted to the Department and the project has been identified as a priority. We finally have some movement, but there is a fear that we will end up having another delay and that is why I tabled this Commencement matter. It is important to ensure the application is expedited now and that the work can start this summer. The board of management is ready. The school is ready. The need is urgent. We just cannot have another year where we have to keep telling parents they do not have a place in this school and have to leave the county again. We cannot continue to open services without the infrastructure to support them. I hope the Minister of State will tell me today that he can confirm this project will be expedited without delay, that we can ensure planning permission will be granted as quickly as possible and that he will commit to enabling construction to begin this summer as intended.

I commend the work of the principal, Mr. John Moran, and all the staff, including the SNAs and the escorts. They do incredible work. The children deserve access to the right education in the right setting at the right time, so I hope we can make some proper progress with this.