Education Minister must get a handle on school construction in Dublin Bay South
Labour Leader Ivana Bacik TD has expressed her shock at news that building has been paused on 58 school construction projects, and on four urgent school construction projects in her constituency of Dublin Bay South, in particular.
Deputy Bacik, who is a TD for Dublin Bay South, has said:
“I am very dismayed and frustrated upon learning today that building has been paused on four urgent school construction projects in my constituency of Dublin Bay South; the ShellyBanks ETNS and Sandymount Park Educate Together secondary school and the Educate Together primary and secondary schools in Harold’s Cross. These are four schools over two campuses, that are all growing rapidly and that have been promised urgent construction on busy sites. What we learned today was that the building works are paused on both campuses.
“This has led to real consternation and distress among affected parents and the greater school communities. There are growing populations in each of these areas, and there is a dearth of provision for children with special educational needs too. Now is not the time to pull the plug on new supply.
“I have written to the Minister for Education, calling for the urgent progressing of paused construction works on both sites, which are already heavily congested with big increases in student numbers already committed to over the academic year ahead and future years. I have also submitted parliamentary questions to the Minister for Education and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. We know that the cost of construction has been cited as a reason underpinning the delays. However, there is no indication that those costs will reduce any time soon. Both Ministers need to account for why a lack of capital funding has given rise to this situation. Most importantly, the schools and parents affected need a timeline for the resumption of construction.”