Schools Building Projects
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-23
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Louis O'Hara (SF), Galway East

I thank the Minister of State. This has been going on for many years at this stage. Of course, I understand that these projects take time but there is a pressing need for this project to be accelerated and delivered. I mentioned the pressure on ASD provision in the school. That is a real and immediate need that has to be met. Further delays with this project just makes it more difficult for the school to meet the demand that exists and provide an inclusive learning environment. I also mentioned that Gort and south Galway is a growing area and it is inevitable that significant additional school capacity will be required in the local area. Indeed, it is already required and the young people attending school there deserve top-class facilities, the same as one would expect to find in any other school. There is a clear need and that is the message that I want to get across today. We have to meet the demands of a growing community. It is the Department's own land and buildings. The Department has asked the school to upgrade the plans to build for 1,200 pupils and everything is in place now. The school has done all that has been asked of it but the project needs to start so that the school is ahead of the curve and can avoid significant issues in terms of school places, ASD provision and so on. Again, I urge the Government to ensure that this happens, that the project is made a priority. I also ask the Minister of State to provide clarity on the timeline for when the school can proceed to the next stage.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-23/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-23