12. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the extension of a school (details supplied). [59597/25]
Sentiment score: 0.00
My question relates to Scoil Garbháin, an Irish-medium school in Dungarvan, County Waterford. I am seeking an update on plans for the extension. The school got word in January this year that the long-awaited and much-needed extension had been approved. It was told in February that it would hear within six weeks from the technical team in the Department. Over nine months later, it has yet to hear despite frequent correspondence from me. I have also raised the matter with the Taoiseach. The school has raised it repeatedly with officials in the Department but its representatives are still none the wiser. The school is at capacity. It proves the point made earlier by Deputy Barry Ward about the need for Irish-medium education and the huge demand. The school is having to turn children away.
Sentiment score: 0.03
I have to say I am deeply disappointed, bemused and bewildered at the Minister of State's response. I got a copy-and-paste, generic response for half the time he was speaking and for the rest, I got a potted history of what I and others involved in the school and community know has happened. I did not get a straight answer. I do not know how the Minister of State's response tallies with the correspondence I have seen from the Department of education. Approval was granted in January. Correspondence, an email to the principal of the school, stated that the technical team would be in touch within six weeks. That was in February this year. I do not know if we are talking about the same school. This land was purchased. The purchase was completed. I was a councillor at the time and facilitated it. It was purchased by Waterford City and County Council, as a local agent, on behalf of the Department. It was a really good scheme and I welcomed it at the time I was involved. That land is there. Talking about the demographic, the analysis and all that is, to be quite frank, rubbish. Children are being educated in partitioned areas in the sports hall, which is the one indoor facility the school has for recreation. It is not good enough. That is on top of the prefabs that are already there. This is the only Irish-language-medium education in a town that is a baile seirbhíse Gaeltachta. The situation stands in contrast to the Minister's response to Deputy Ward about the importance of Irish-medium education, nuair nach bhfuil spás sa scoil seo gur féidir leis freastal ar an éileamh i nDún Garbhán. It is a Gaeltacht service town and the one Gaelscoil cannot meet the demand in the town.
Sentiment score: 0.04
I thank the Minister of State. I will engage with him further on this matter, and in writing, because I am dumbfounded and none the wiser. As the Minister of State was speaking, I checked the website of Waterford City and County Council. Planning permission was finally granted on 7 February 2025. Planning permission is in place. The land is acquired. The application was submitted in good time and there was formal approval. I have seen the correspondence and have shared it with the Minister of State. I will share it again. It is correspondence with the Department. This is simply not satisfactory and I will be taking it further. I will be bringing that documentation to the Minister of State. The school has approval from the Department. I have seen the documentation. The school was told in February, when that planning permission came through, that its representatives would hear from the technical team within six weeks to progress the project. Nine months later, they are none the wiser. Children are still being crammed into partitioned-off parts of a sports hall. It is utterly unsatisfactory.
Sentiment score: 0.12
I think so.
Sentiment score: 0.00