I welcome the opportunity to again raise this important issue and to request that the Minister for Education and Youth provide additional funding for significant improvement and refurbishment works in schools. What is happening in my county of Kerry is simply not acceptable in 2026. We have a systemic problem of underinvestment and as I outlined about two weeks ago in this Chamber, it is very obvious in Scoil Iognáid Rís in Daingean Uí Chúis-Dingle. Conditions there are "outdated and dangerous", yet the school is told to apply under the emergency works scheme or the summer works scheme. With respect, these schemes are completely inadequate for what is required here. One cannot fix a 60-year-old school with structural and design failures through patchwork funding. It is not an isolated case. In Scoil Réalt na Mara in Cromane, the principal has confirmed to me that its minor works grant is just over €8,700 but a basic project like painting the school costs over €21,000 plus VAT. This is a funding model that is completely divorced from reality. Even more concerning, the school is being extended, increasing the building's size by over 50%, yet the funding to maintain it will not increase accordingly. How can that possibly make sense? We see similar problems in Presentation Monastery National School in Killarney. I call on the Minister to urgently progress the climate action summer works scheme application for St. Brigid’s Presentation Secondary School in Killarney, particularly regarding the upgrading of pupil toilet facilities. This is basic infrastructure and it cannot be delayed any longer. In general, schools are waiting far too long for clarity on staffing and summer programmes. This should be provided as soon as possible to allow schools to plan accordingly and give certainty to staff. It is the least that they deserve. Beyond infrastructure, the school is also dealing with significant demographic pressures and high levels of need yet has no access to DEIS supports in the Killarney area. This must be analysed and corrected. In Filemore National School, funding has been approved under the additional school accommodation scheme but is stuck in paperwork and bureaucracy. Will the Minister of State ask his officials to progress this with immediate effect? Aghatubrid National School is still waiting on progress for an autism unit, which is a vital service for families there. The tiles in Scoil Naomh Mhichíl Naofa in Dungeagan are almost 50 years old. The school has been asked to recost the works for a second time. Can that be looked into? Financing the day-to-day running costs of Caherdaniel National School is a major struggle. The list goes on. Castledrum National School is seeking a special class. The building is already there. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, might review this decision, as the school was already turned down. I do not see any sense or merit in that. It is the same in Killarney, which has major development plans - I will talk to the Minister of State in due course about that - as has Coláiste na Sceilge in Cahersiveen. The common threads here are clear - delays, underfunding, a system built on outdated assumptions, bureaucracy and too much red tape. Schools are being forced to fight for basic and essential infrastructure, so I am calling for three actions. The first is a comprehensive assessment of all primary and secondary school buildings in County Kerry and a proper identification of the scale of the refurbishment and modernisation required. The second is a dedicated funding stream for older school buildings, separate from minor and emergency works, to deal with structural long-term deficiencies. The third is a review of the minor works grant model so that it reflects the actual size and maintenance needs of school buildings and not just enrolment numbers.

Sentiment score: 0.09

I thank the Minister of State for the response but I have to say it does not match the reality being experienced by many schools across County Kerry. This evening, I have raised consistent and repeated concerns from multiple school communities and I would like to return briefly to a few of them. Scoil Iognáid Rís, Dingle, has a building that is fundamentally unfit for purpose. This is not a minor works issue; it is a full redevelopment issue. In the case of Scoil Réalt na Mara, the funding model is clearly broken in that schools are expected to maintain expanding buildings with completely inadequate grants. In the case of Presentation Monastery National School, Killarney, I stress again that the climate action summer works scheme application, particularly for upgrading the pupil toilets there, must be progressed urgently. These are basic facilities and there is no justification for delay. As schools cannot continue to operate in a system where essential projects are stuck in bureaucracy, approved funding is not translating into delivery on the ground and principals are left firefighting instead of planning, I will ask again very directly whether the Minister of State will commit to a full assessment of school infrastructure in Kerry. Will he introduce a dedicated refurbishment fund for older schools and will he ensure urgent applications like that of Presentation Monastery National School are fast-tracked without delay? At the heart of all this is a very simple question, namely, why should a child in Kerry be expected to learn in conditions and environments that would not be tolerated anywhere else in the country? This is about safety, fairness and delivering a basic standard of education infrastructure that every child deserves. If we continue as we are, we are not improving our education system but are allowing it to fall behind. As the Minister of State knows well, the ones paying the price for this are the children sitting in those classrooms every day that are not sustainable.

Sentiment score: 0.09