I thank Deputy Cleere for raising the issue of school building projects in general, and our need to deliver more, but also specifically in relation to his constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. As he knows, since 2020, some €6.7 billion has been invested to increase capacity and upgrade school facilities. This is a record level of investment. Some €210 million in capital funding went to County Kilkenny and €51 million in capital funding went to County Carlow. Over that period, we saw 43 schools in County Kilkenny and 25 schools in County Carlow either being upgraded, having extensions built or getting additional accommodation. We also saw 45 special classes sanctioned for Kilkenny, eight of which are sanctioned for this September, and 32 extra special classes sanctioned for County Carlow, five of which are sanctioned for this September. I take the point. The Deputy would not be doing his job if he were not restless to see even more projects delivered in his constituency. However, I would make the point that we have, quite rightly, invested a lot in education buildings in Carlow and Kilkenny and, indeed, across the country. As the Deputy said, the Minister, Deputy Naughton, published the €7.55 billion sectoral investment plan for education earlier this year. There are six projects in the counties of Carlow and Kilkenny. There are also a further ten schools in those two counties that are now approved to undergo summer works schemes this summer. The Deputy is right that there is more to do. I want people in Carlow, Kilkenny and throughout the country to know that this is not the final word on capital when it comes to education. In the medium-term fiscal plan that the Government has agreed, and that was approved at a European level only a couple of weeks ago, there is further capital to be allocated in the time ahead. As a Government, while we are not making decisions on it today, we will be eager to invest that in areas where we believe we can deliver real progress in communities in a speedy fashion. Schools and education have a very strong track record. The beauty of a school building project is that if you give it the green light, it goes ahead and it gets delivered quickly. We see them right across the country. The Deputy is right that there are a number of projects at stage 2B, which, for the benefit of those watching, are the projects that are basically waiting to go to detailed design, the phase before going to tender. I genuinely believe that we will be able to make progress on many of them in the time ahead. Perhaps up to 15 of them could be in the Deputy’s constituency, which is also the constituency of the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, in the interests of balance. We will review that matter in due course. The priority in the here and now is getting on with delivery, which, as the Deputy mentioned, is important. We have given a very large allocation of over €7 billion to education. We need to see quick progress on those projects. We will be reviewing and monitoring this matter. To the schools in the Deputy’s constituency and every constituency, this is not the final word on capital funding for education for schools from this Government.

Sentiment score: 0.22

I was making an effort to write them down, but I think the Deputy named nearly all of the 15 schools we had on the list. That was a good tour of the constituency. Whether they are schools in Carlow or Kilkenny, I get it. There is obviously great joy when a school list comes out and your school is on the list, but there is that sense of apprehension as to what it means for the school. That is why I really want those schools to know it is not the final word. The Government is very clear in relation to that. Our medium-term fiscal plan, more importantly, is clear in relation to that as well. There is, I think, €4 billion in capital funding in that plan that, in the lifetime of this Government, we will have an opportunity to allocate. The key thing right now is the delivery of all of the projects we have funded, including the projects in Carlow and Kilkenny, the summer works schemes that will take place in Carlow and Kilkenny, and the extra special classes that will open in both of those counties and right across the country. We continue to work with schools that are at stage 2B to seek to move them on. We will keep in touch with the Deputy in relation to that.

Sentiment score: 0.23