I am raising the very serious issue of St. Patrick's Primary School in Celbridge, which opened in 2008. It is housed in a prefabricated building that was only supposed to be in place for five years. Unfortunately, 18 years later, the school is still in that building. In June 2025, a report was submitted after the work had been done at the end of March. It states: I am of the opinion that the existing building in the current condition is not fit for the purpose to operate without considerable risk to the occupants and users as a school, is unsafe and poses a serious immediate threat to the well-being, health and safety of the occupants and users. That is how a primary school in Celbridge in which there are more than 300 students and also SNAs and teachers is described. These children are the some of the most important and most vulnerable people in our community. They deserve a much better and safer building in which to attend school. Much of what is in the report was made public on a KFM programme over the weekend. The report has also been covered in the Liffey Champion on a number of occasions in recent weeks. This is an ongoing issue. As I said, it is 18 years since the prefabs were put in. I raised this matter with the Minister for education at a meeting on 18 June last year. I also raised it in the Dáil last October and again in January. The pictures of the classroom that I have with me were taken at the end of January. It is not a place where kids should be. There is water running down the walls. The principal and her partner had to clean the classroom after a weekend of rain at the start of January, but the situation has only been exacerbated since then. The Minister, Deputy Naughton, visited the school, and she saw the issues that exist at first hand. She has highlighted the issue, but more work needs to be done as a matter of urgency. The principal and the teachers are doing amazing work, and the school has a great community, but the parents are really concerned. We need a resolution.

Sentiment score: 0.09

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I just want touch on a couple of the matters. The two modular units have been set down and the children are using them. However, the units are very small and way too cramped for proper classes. Also, there are no toilets in the modular units, which are located away from the school building. That poses its own difficulties. I was at the school yesterday morning. The scaffolding has been put up. There is no work going on and the scaffolding is blocking some of the fire exits. This emphasises the dangers and risks for the children. Obviously, I welcome the two-pronged approach being taken, particularly as we need to have the emergency works to fix the school. However, we also need the delivery of the new school building. Ultimately, a three-school campus needs to be put in place. That is a longer term solution, however. We all know that new schools are not built too quickly in this country, so we need a proper solution for these children in the immediate future.

Sentiment score: -0.05