I was very disappointed, as were the people of north Tipperary, that in the recent capital announcement under the national development plan of 105 schools, only one in the area got funding. St. Anne's School in Roscrea got funding for an extension, which is very welcome as it is a brilliant school. However, a range of schools, and four in particular that I will mention, received considerable correspondence from the Department that to my eyes said they would be included. All are ETB schools. The correspondence is very detailed, they had been advancing these four projects for many years and to say the volume of school projects announced in the likes of Galway when compared with north Tipperary looks skew-ways would be an understatement. I commence with Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré. Roscrea has many socioeconomic issues but fantastic people. This is one of the largest schools in Tipperary and has needed a new school building for many years. I believe it has been in the capital plan for over a decade. It received confirmation it was getting a new school in 2021. I have the letter here. The school had gone for planning for a new replacement 800-pupil school with a 4-class SEN base on the existing site. It was expected this would be an absolute priority given the catchment area and socioeconomic context but it was not included. Coláiste Mhuire Co-Ed in Thurles was built in 1981 and the school building is in terrible shape. It has a fantastic principal and fantastic people. The school had approval to build seven mainstream classrooms, a music room, two multimedia rooms, two science labs, a preparation room, an art room, HSCL tuition rooms and a 2-class SEN base. The school building is leaking in many different locations. There was a meeting about this recently in the Department. The school needs a complete rebuild. The idea that you can stick some modular units on this site is a joke; with the modular units at the moment, you could stick your hands through them. Newport College has received planning approval for its development, which will be a mix of one-, two- and three-storey buildings with a total floor area of over 3,500 sq. m in 20 rooms. It will include 13 classrooms, eight specialist rooms, an SET room, two SEN units and an outdoor play area. Newport is one of the fastest-growing towns in the mid-west. It is a stone's throw from Limerick. It has taken an awful lot of change in the past 30 years given the issues in relation to regeneration in Limerick. An awful lot of social issues have been dealt with hugely by people in the area and by my councillor there, Fiona Bonfield, yet this school was left out. Finally, Nenagh Community National School has approval for three classrooms, staff and children's toilets. It bought the GP surgery next door. This school is in a situation where it does not have a classroom for sixth class and those students are going to have to use the gym. The Department is telling the school there is enough capacity in other schools. Say that to my wife, who is a teacher in the school next door to it. This is the only non-denominational primary school of large scale in Nenagh and it has been turned down for funding. There was nowhere for the sixth class to be educated last year, bar a gym. It was a big undertaking by the ETB to take on this school, which used to be the boys' national school, yet it has been left out of this funding. Why are these four schools not in the capital plan and is there any plan to put them in it in the coming weeks and months?

Sentiment score: 0.08

I thank the Minister of State and do not doubt his sincerity. I will ask one question very quickly. Will he meet me, and dare I say it, Deputies Lowry and O'Meara along with the ETB about these four schools? Will he please ask the Department to do that? This is not about politics and I want the other two Deputies included. These four schools are in serious trouble. The ETB is very worried, annoyed and angry about what has happened here. In his reply, will the Minister of State also confirm whether any supplemental funding will be available for capital projects or will the school projects I mentioned be pushed out until after 2027? On Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré, I believe there is discrimination going on against Roscrea. It is not a political priority. It is a huge school. The enrolment is dropping. More students are being bussed to Thurles because of the condition of the school. There is an excellent board of management and an excellent chair of that board of management. This is totally wrong. The management of Coláiste Mhuire in Thurles has been managing roof leaks and suspended ceilings, which are health and safety issues, for years. This will be a health and safety issue, if it is not dealt with. Newport College cannot sustain where it is going. It does not have the capacity to manage the volume of students. Let us look at the population index for that area and wonder where the students are going to go if this project does not proceed. Finally, I am going to say it straight out. There are young students in Nenagh who have no classroom facing into September and sixth class, one of the most formative years of their education. They have no classroom. It is as simple as that. A huge amount of investment and time has gone into the school over the years. I know because I helped with it. Those are the four schools I am referring to. Will the Minister of State please come back to me? Can we have a meeting with all three Deputies on these four schools? Will more money be coming before 2028?

Sentiment score: 0.03