2026-06-11

I raise the new school building for Coláiste an Phiarsaigh. To be clear, I taught there once upon a time. I was also a former student there for six years, so I have a vested interest in this relatively big school building programme. I am asking for a clear update. It seems to be stuck at the 2b lottery stage, which I know is frustrating for many TDs. A lot of these building projects are frequently stuck in this phase 2b. This is just another example. This school has a remarkable story. It opened in 1973 with only 20 students and six teachers. It had no building. Classes were held in a rented Church of Ireland premises in the village of Glenmire. They had, in the words of those who were there, neither "cailc nó clár dubh", no chalk or blackboard. From that beginning, it has grown into one of the most successful Irish-medium schools in the country, with nearly 600 students and more than 60 staff. It consistently ranks as one of the best in terms of its academic achievement. The new building promised for this school is not a modest one. As I said, it is a fairly large extension. It would make Coláiste an Phiarsaigh the largest Gaelscoil in Ireland, with a new sports hall, indoor running track and wellness suite. The students in the school, through the students' council, advocated for it to have a carbon-neutral design, with has been built into the design of the school. In September 2023, the school community was told that construction would begin within 18 months. That timeline has now passed and families in Glenmire deserve to know why and what the revised position is. Glenmire is one of the fastest growing suburbs in Cork. The demand for Irish-medium education is only going in one direction. The students currently in first year will be sitting their leaving certificate before too long. They should not spend their entire secondary education waiting for a building they were told was imminent. I am asking for the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, to set out plainly the current stage of this project, when it is anticipated it will go to construction and when the doors of the new school will open. I have been involved with this school building project over the past five years. We have had senior Ministers visit, as well as the Taoiseach, cutting ribbons and launching plans. The expectation is quite high that this will be delivered in a timely manner. I understand the significant difficulties in the Department of education and the overspend. They are glaringly obvious for all of us. That said, big projects like this need to be delivered. When I attended Coláiste an Phiarsaigh as a student, half the school campus was in prefabs, and some of those very same prefabs are still there today. The Minister of States knows the way this can go. There has been some improvement with other updated modular units over the past few years but the reason they are getting this big project is that half the school footprint is, in essence, modular. This will replace it with bricks and mortar. This is something that has been long awaited. I genuinely hope that there is something the Minister of State will tell me which will illuminate things for me, although I will be dubious about it. It is high time we were straight with people in Glanmire and set out a timeline for when this project is likely to be delivered.

I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for his continued interest in this matter. It is an issue in which I know he has a personal interest and one on which he has advocated considerably in this House and elsewhere. I thank him for that continued work. As the Deputy knows, the current position in relation to this major development project in Coláiste an Phiarsaigh, County Cork, is the responsibility of the Minister for Education and Youth. She has asked me to outline the current position. The project referred to has been devolved to the joint managerial body for delivery. The project brief for Coláiste an Phiarsaigh provides for a long-term projected enrolment of 750 pupils, including four classrooms for students with special educational needs. That is an important function and part of the overall project, because the Government has a considerable focus on providing appropriate locations for children with special educational needs. The project is currently at stage 2b of the architectural design process, as the Deputy said. This allows for detailed design and planning, obtaining the necessary statutory permissions and the preparation of tender documents. Planning permission was granted in November 2025. The Department awaits submission of a stage 2b report. Once received, it will undergo a detailed technical and cost review in line with the Government's infrastructure guidelines. It is clear that the joint managerial body needs to get that stage 2b report to the Department to allow for the next stages along the way. As the Deputy will be aware, the Department recently published the €7.55 billion NDP sectoral investment plan for the education and youth sectors for the period 2026 to 2030. The NDP sectoral investment plan involves a strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. In this regard, there will be a strong special education dimension to project roll-out. That is one of the important facets of the project, so that when it gets through the stage it is at, it will have significant prioritisation in the mix of other schools. Of the total €7.55 billion investment, it is envisaged that circa €5 billion will be used for project roll-out to support the delivery and modernisation of school buildings. This will build on the progress made over recent years with the continued roll-out of projects on a prioritised basis to meet the most urgent needs in terms of provision of additional capacity and modernisation of existing facilities. In this regard, a list of the 105 school building projects in the first tranche to proceed to construction or tender over 2026 and 2027 was published and this included 12 schools in Cork. The progression of other projects through the pipeline will form part of overall programme management and prioritisation. The timing of a pipeline project moving from one stage to the next requires careful planning and is determined by a number of factors, such as confirmation that any existing or emerging school capacity in the area is being, or will be, optimised; confirmation of compliance with all technical and cost requirements relevant to that project stage; outcome of prioritisation assessment; and timing of affordability within annual NDP funding parameters, taking account of overall programme requirements. In moving projects forward, the Department maintains a strong focus on delivering value for money and affordability, and includes phasing arrangements, where necessary, to ensure that spending remains sustainable. Functionality, long-term suitability and the specific needs of schools, including special education requirements, are also considered at each stage. This approach ensures that projects not only progress in a timely manner but also deliver maximum value for money and target priorities of the school estate. This prioritisation process will be informed by engagement with school patrons and management bodies, which is currently under way. The project at Coláiste an Phiarsaigh will form part of this overall process.

Unfortunately, I do not have my date. I get that we have invested an awful lot in infrastructure and education over the last few years. That is undeniable. I was struck by a couple of phrases the Minister of State used, including "affordability" and "value for money". We have all been in this House long enough to know that the longer we wait to do these projects, they more inflated the price becomes given the way the current market is. If we leave this another year, it could easily add another 10%, if not more, to the price of this school. Unfortunately, I think we are going to be waiting much longer than a year, judging by what the statement the Minister of State read out. I get that there is a €700 million overspend in the budget for the Department of education. The Department of public expenditure needs to talk to the Department of education and problems need to be worked through. The Department has to stay within the budget but, at the same time, this is not a problem that just emerged. While it is fair enough that the project only got planning last year, as I said, the prefabs have been there for 25 or 30 years. This build is largely to replace those prefabs. We have another good story on the site in question. The people who established the school own the land around it. The Minister for the Gaeltacht, Deputy Calleary, is looking at turning an old building into a cultúrlann and have it as a real Irish-language hub in the centre of Glanmire. It would largely meet the needs of the Irish language community in Cork city. A lot of exciting things are happening with this project on this site, but they are all going to be held up because we are waiting for the school. Nothing else can happen until the school has initiated. I can only make the case for my constituency, as we all do here for our constituencies. This school will be the largest Gaelcholáiste in the country when it is built. That is at a time when officials in the Department would tell us that numbers in Gaelscoileanna normally do not exceed 600 or 700. This school could easily cater for 1,200 students, such is the demand.

The Deputy has made a strong case for this project. I set out, in broad terms, the criteria that apply to all schools and building projects. I set out, in a clear way, the commitment of the Government, from an overall financial envelope available over the next number of years, to complete these projects and how they get assessed. Of course, there are more projects than there is money to address them over the next five years. That is why the prioritisation is part of it, but just because I have set out the prioritisation, it does not necessarily mean the school is not part of that. The first tranche has been announced. What is important now is for those preparing the stage 2b report to get it into the Department. Knowing the Deputy as long as I do, I know his capacity to advocate. When the report is on the Department's desk, the Deputy will probably be back in the House looking for a further update. Of course, we will provide him with one. I know the Deputy will be advocating through his contacts in the Department as well. At every stage, I encourage the school to get the documentation and report in. I have identified the priorities for the Deputy. The key priority is that it is a Gaelscoil, but the fact that the focus is firmly on the special needs or educational element for children with special needs is a significant part of the overall jigsaw. I suggest that the Deputy emphasise that and continue to advocate. Sooner rather than later, the Department will be, I hope, in a position to move the project to the next stage. There are a number of stages, but every time the project moves on, the school gets closer to that mark. I apologise that I cannot give a timeframe, but it would be foolhardy for anyone to give a guesstimate given that the report is still awaited. I have every expectation that officials will be in touch with the school and that they will move on that.