Schools Building Projects
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-05
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Louise O'Reilly (SF), Dublin Fingal West

I will read out the names again because none of the schools I named are on the list. To be brutally frank with the Minister of State, referencing schools that were built previously is not going to help the people in schools that are falling down around them and bursting at the seams. We have a problem in Dublin Fingal West in terms of school capacity. We also have a problem because the teaching staff, pupils and parents are absolutely sick, sore and tired of make-do and mend.
I am going to read out the specific names. I would be most grateful if the Minister of State could get me a direct response as soon as possible on each of these so that I might go back to the parents and the school communities, which are all coming to me because they are understandably distressed. St. Teresa's national school in Balbriggan is stuck at stage 2b. Gaelscoil Ros Eo and St. Joseph's in Rush are at a very advanced stage, have planning permission and a site, and the tender documents are going to go to the Department in a matter of weeks. St. Mary's National School in Oldtown is in 18-year-old prefabs. It is at stage 2a. Balbriggan Community College is at stage 2b, but not on the priority list. Rush National School is also at stage 2b.
These are all in towns where I would be very confident, because I have looked at the data, that they fulfil the demographic requirements. If the demographic requirements are the only requirements that this priority list was based on, I am happy to tell the Minister of State that we more than fulfil that. The Minister of State can ask the master in the Rotunda Hospital and they will tell him that there is population growth in my area. Houses are also being built in my area. The Government is not building anywhere near enough, but they are certainly building in the area. This is needed to future-proof, at some point, but it is also needed now. The schools are in very substandard conditions. There are 18-year-old prefabs in one of those schools. They are mouldy. It is not appropriate for kids to be taught in those conditions. I was going to say "in modern times", but it is not appropriate any time for kids to be in classrooms where there is mould.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-05/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:36+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-05