Laura Harmon (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Harkin. I want to discuss Coláiste Daibhéid in Cork city, which is a fantastic school I had the privilege of visiting recently. Bhí an-áthas orm bualadh leis an scoil agus na daltaí le déanaí, chomh maith leis an bpríomhoide agus leis an bhfoireann, chun plé a dhéanamh ar go leor ceisteanna trí Ghaeilge. Tá súil agam go mór go mbeidh muid in ann dul chun cinn a dhéanamh maidir le foirgneamh nua don scoil. Ta géarghá leis an bhfoirgneamh nua. Ba mhór an t-ábhar imní é an t-uisce ag sceitheadh ón díon a fheiceáil, chomh maith leis na buicéid a chuirtear amach chun an uisce a bhailiú. Tá sé seo ar fad ag tarlú gar do cháblaí leictreachais. Is ceist sláinte agus sábháilteachta í seo. Tá géarghá leis an bhfoirgneamh nua seo don scoil.Will the Minister of State provide an update on what has been done to progress the request for additional school accommodation for Coláiste Daibhéid in Cork city and a timeline for the project? The school's preference is option 1B, to ensure a hall, canteen and ASD hub can be provided, while also addressing accessibility, safety and serious roof leak issues. Some 23 leaks have been identified in one part of the school currently, which is worrying, and a lot of them are affecting electricity cables. This is worrying for staff and students. Coláiste Daibhéid is a Gaelcholáiste, ann Irish-medium second level school, which provides the students of Cork city and surrounding areas access to a co-educational, multi-denominational educational opportunity through Irish. The school's patron is the Cork Education and Training Board, CETB. It reaches high standards academically as well as in sport, STEM and stewardship. It has fantastic students and they deserve better.

At present, the school is on the edge of Douglas Street Campus on Sawmill Street. There are two buildings. One is Buckingham House, which dates from the mid-19th century. It is a protected building with a first floor that is only accessible by a stairs. It houses practical subjects, offices and work areas. The second building, known as an t-áras, was completed in 2011. It has eight classrooms with toilet facilities. The first floor is accessed by stairs and a lift.

What are the problems? Buckingham House is not fit for purpose for a school. When I visited, I noticed some of the following issues. It cannot be accessed from the road. There are parking issues. There is not enough room for a wheelchair to go around the side of the building. There is no obvious proper entrance. The reception is upstairs. There is no lift access for anyone with mobility issues, buggies or deliveries. The classrooms are an irregular shape and are not the standard classroom size of 49 sq. m. There are inadequate corridor space, uneven floor levels and an unsatisfactory ASD room and it is necessary to go through one classroom to access another. It is cold, with high heating costs and the pipes burst regularly. The woodwork room has no machinery. The home economics room is too small and has no storage area. There is a lack of storage space in general.

What is the school seeking? An application for additional accommodation for the school was first raised in January 2020. Since then, it has been waiting for updates. The latest report was submitted in August 2025 and the school wants the Minister of State's help to move the project to a stage 1B meeting with the Department. The aim would be to move the process to a joint stage 2A and 2B to advance the project at a rapid pace but the preferred building plan option is option 1B.

I would like to hear the Minister of State's response on this. I thank her for attending this morning.