I raise the issue of funding for school facilities, particularly sports facilities such as playing facilities, AstroTurf pitches, renewal of grass surfaces and changing room facilities for voluntary schools. There are some great programmes in the summer works scheme and other newer schemes to do with climate action and preparing buildings for climate change, which are welcome. There is a gaping hole in the funding profile for schools when it comes to outdoor facilities. A key requirement for our schools is to provide non-classroom environments for students to keep them engaged and give them other experiences outdoors. For girls, in particular, it is very difficult to keep them involved in sport as they get older. A key way to do this is through the school system. To do that, a school needs good playing facilities, particularly outdoors. There is no mechanism for that at the moment. Will the Government consider in the medium term putting a scheme together, similar to the summer works programme, in which schools can apply for funding for sports facilities and renewal of sports facilities? I am not talking about capital in the sense of acquiring land, but there are many schools in the country that have had facilities for a long time that require renewal. Asking parents and schools to do fundraising without, at the very least, matching funding from the Government is really difficult.

Sentiment score: 0.08

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I welcome his comments and appreciate the investment he has outlined in general terms into school facilities. On the challenge with emergency works, I will give Manor House School in Raheny as an example. It is a very popular girls' school. It has a large AstroTurf pitch beside the school which belongs to it. The surface is really poor. It is an enormous job. I doubt it will qualify for any emergency works scheme because the scale of it is too large, but there is a huge opportunity there for the community in terms of partnership and for the school itself in the long term if we can find ways to partner on that. I also want to raise the situation that has come up very recently in relation to Belgrove Infant Girls' School in Clontarf. Due to its enrolment numbers it has had its funding allocation cut for one teacher, potentially causing serious difficulty in the school. Depending on how the management of that school distributes staff, which I appreciate is a management decision, we could end up with a situation where there are 35 pupils to one teacher in that school. The Minister of State will understand that would be a very challenging situation for the school and for the management. I am raising it in the hope the Minister of State will raise it with the Minister, so it is looked at.

Sentiment score: 0.12

I thank the Minister of State.

Sentiment score: 0.36