I want to discuss the additional accommodation scheme, especially as it relates to schools in County Mayo. So far, 16 schools at various stages of this scheme have reached out to me. They all stress the need for timely and adequate additional accommodation. Mayo has a wide network of schools that has a vast mix. Some are rural, some are urban. We have some island schools, some Gaeltacht schools and some DEIS schools. No doubt they are all doing excellent work but in many cases they are tasked with carrying out this work in buildings that are outdated, overcrowded or inadequate. My main issue this evening though is around communication. I have principals, boards of management and parents who are really frustrated that they do not know what is happening with their particular buildings. Clear timelines are not available. Everybody knows the stages but the timelines of the stages are not clear. It is my understanding that, to be considered for capital funding under the national development plan announcement, schools need to be at stage 2b, but getting to this stage can be a real struggle. This year, no Mayo schools were announced in the 2026-27 tranche and that caused huge frustration, because I had principals who genuinely thought that sods might be turned on their new buildings this side of the summer. Where is the confusion if none of those schools was at stage 2b? I think of the Sacred Heart School in Westport that is currently at stage 2a. Three schools are depending on this particular build, namely, Holy Trinity National School, Westport Educate Together National School and the Sacred Heart School itself. The delays and uncertainty this is causing is having knock-on effects for all three schools, influencing enrolment numbers and, indeed, teacher numbers when enrolment drops. I think of Sancta Maria College in Louisburgh, which is waiting on its preliminary design to be reviewed by the Department even though the certificate of stage 1 completion was sent on 8 April last year. This school really has concerns about the viability of its two special education rooms because they are upstairs. This means that if there is an evacuation order, some students with mobility issues would have to be carried down the stairs. The principal has received no response to queries, despite sending numerous emails. The rising cost of building materials is a real concern. I think of Coláiste Pobail Acla, which is currently at stage 2a. It sent an addendum report on 6 June 2025 and despite regular follow-ups by the principal and the Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board, ETB, the school is still waiting on a response on how this project might be progressed. Unfortunately, pyrite was confirmed in the new extension in December and the roof that was built in the 1980s is leaking as well. The school really feels unprepared if another Storm Éowyn was to come, as the school is on the edge of the Wild Atlantic Way. I think of St. Brendan's College in Belmullet. For its additional school accommodation, ASA, project, there is the replacement of prefab accommodation, special educational needs, SEN, provision and specialist rooms. The school's stage 1 report was submitted on 30 November 2022, and following agreement on the preferred design in September 2022, the school moved to stage 2a. The school has now had no movement in 20 months. There is a huge amount of frustration. We cannot really expect schools to plan for the future if they do not know if they will have enough classrooms, enough spaces for neurodivergent students or the facilities they desperately need. We cannot expect teachers and schools to deliver educational excellence in buildings that overcrowded and not fit for purpose. We should not be asking school communities to accept this uncertainty.

Sentiment score: -0.07

The Minister of State should absolutely send my list to the Department, but he can be guaranteed that it already has my list. I thank him for the details he outlined. In his reply, he said that details of all live and completed projects are available on the website, but my big issue is that a school might be at stage 2a for 18 months. One school said it had no contact since April last year, another has had no contact in ten months, another said it was nine months and another said six months. St. Brid's Special School is in the ADAPT 3 fast track programme and some of the phrases that the principal has used to describe the process so far include "deep concern", "growing frustration" and "prolonged uncertainty". My big ask is that we get clear communication between the Department and schools. It is not unreasonable for a school to have a check-in once every six weeks or two months - even three months would be acceptable to some schools. I do not understand why a school that is at stage 1 thought it might be included in a funding tranche when, in fact, you need to be at stage 2b. If principals who have been there for a very long period of time are not aware of the process then there definitely is a communication breakdown somewhere. I would like to see explanations for what exactly happens in stage 1, stage 2a and stage 2b, and what the timelines to be expected are. If a school is currently at stage 2a - which many schools in Mayo are - I want, as their public representative, to get them to stage 2b before the next tranche of funding is announced so we are in with a chance of many of them getting funded and getting that moment of turning the sod. The bottom line is that every child in the State, including those in County Mayo, deserves the same opportunities, facilities and investment, and the access should not be different from one school to the next. I acknowledge that there has been a lot of funding into Mayo over recent years. It is unfortunate that in this case we were not included in the tranche, but I am hopeful that we will have a lot of schools at stage 2b at the next one.

Sentiment score: 0.19