Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate – Dáil Éireann (34th Dáil) – Thursday, 16 Apr 2026

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

An Garda Síochána

Deputy Louise O'Reilly

I thank the Minister sincerely for being here. I have often stood in the Chamber and given out about the fact the senior Minister is not here so I should, as a matter of course, record my thanks to the Minister for taking this Topical Issue.

The issue relates to the need to increase Garda numbers in my constituency of Dublin Fingal West. The reason we need increased numbers is historically we were low on Garda numbers and our population has increased while the number of gardaí serving the region has not. A number of issues are now putting strain and stress on the communities I represent. The Minister can imagine how it made people in my constituency feel when they opened the newspaper on 1 December 2018 and heard the joyous news from then Senator James Reilly that a final sign-off had been given on the works required at Rush Garda station and it was understood that the contractor should be on site in quarter 1 of 2019. The Senator said he was delighted the work would commence to refurbish the Garda station with contractors on site very quickly. He said he would press the Department to have the station manned and operational with adequate Garda resources in 2019.

Here we are now and it is 2026. Rush Garda station is still, to all intents and purposes, closed and the population all around it has increased. We now have a petition. A young woman by the name of Ciara has started a community petition for the people of Lusk - Rush and Lusk are beside each other. She has said there are more than 1,000 signatures on that petition. She says she has lived in Lusk since 2004. Her children were born there and go to Lusk Community College. Lusk has quadrupled in size and the population is still increasing but there is no Garda station serving it so all the pressure is being put on Balbriggan Garda station.

The Garda station in Rush was closed. It is now functioning as - I do not know what. When you look through the windows, all you see are boxes and boxes of files. There are never cars in the car park and I can tell the Minister for a red-hot fact there are no gardaí in it serving the people in the surrounding area who really need it. Lusk is the very same; there is no Garda station there. We have a problem because there are rising rates of antisocial behaviour and crime. My office is contacted weekly - sometimes more than that- by people saying they are having trouble contacting the guards. The Minister knows and I know the best deterrent against antisocial behaviour or any form of crime is a visible Garda presence and we do not have that in north County Dublin.

More and more pressure is being put on Balbriggan Garda station and the numbers in the station are not sufficient for the 200 km radius it has to cover. The gardaí in the station do a fantastic job but are put to the pin of their collar trying to cover an ever-expanding area and ever-increasing population. The number of gardaí is not commensurate with the number of people in the area and most definitely is not keeping pace with the number of people living in Dublin Fingal West. We need Rush Garda station reopened. We need a Garda station to serve Lusk. We need Skerries Garda station back open properly, if the truth be told. We also need more gardaí for Balbriggan Garda station.

An Ceann Comhairle

If the Minister indulges me for a moment, I will welcome all the former Members of the Icelandic Parliament who are in the Gallery. They are most welcome.

Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Jim O'Callaghan)

I thank Deputy O'Reilly for putting down this important Topical Issue. If I am available for Topical Issues in the justice, home affairs and migration area, I will do them. I am happy to be here to respond to the Deputy's query.

It is repeatedly the case - and it is very fair - that Deputies want more gardaí in their communities and constituencies. That is a good sign. It shows the constituencies and people of Ireland have faith in and are supportive of An Garda Síochána. That is not universal throughout the world. In some places there can be a negative relationship between the police forces and the communities they police, but it is not so in Ireland.

Dublin Fingal West is covered by the Dublin metropolitan region north division. It also covers Dublin Fingal East and parts of Dublin Bay North. At the end of February, the latest date for which published figures are available, there were 764 Garda members of all ranks assigned to the division, supported by 70 Garda staff and 23 Garda reservists.

The allocation of gardaí represents an increase of 13% since the end of 2016, when there were 676 in the division. The Garda staff number has increased by almost 63% in the same period, from 43 assigned in 2016, which in turn has freed up more gardaí to undertake front-line policing duties.

The request I get most of the time is for more gardaí in communities. As people will be aware, I have a policy to have high-visibility policing in our cities and towns and throughout the rest of the country. We have already been able to see that in Dublin, Cork and Limerick there has been a very noticeable increase in high-visibility policing. That is as a result of a policy of the Government that is being implemented by the Commissioner.

It is extremely important that communities have visible policing. The presence of gardaí is very much dependent on there being a pipeline of reserves and recruits and resources available to the Commissioner. Last year, 619 gardaí attested from the Garda College to take up positions across the country, beginning a career of service to their communities and the people of Ireland. Another 167 new gardaí attested in February this year, bringing the number to 786. I look forward to the attestation of new gardaí in two weeks' time, on 1 May next. Seven probationer gardaí were assigned to Deputy O'Reilly's division in February and 39 probationers were assigned in 2025.

Overall, since the reopening of the Garda College in 2015, 496 probationers have been assigned to Dublin metropolitan region north, which is almost 9% of all probationers attested since 2015. Just under 800 trainees entered the Garda College in 2025, which is the highest number since 2018. Recruitment is extremely important to ensure we get more gardaí into Deputy O'Reilly's constituency, Dublin Fingal West, and indeed throughout the country. We are seeing success in this regard at present.

Deputy O'Reilly also raised the issue of Rush Garda station and how she would like to see it reopened. I cannot give her an update in respect of that at present. I am here to talk about the numbers but I will certainly engage with her in respect of those issues.

Deputy Louise O'Reilly

That is very welcome. I have a wee suggestion, if the Minister does not mind. It comes from the petition that Ciara has circulated. As I said, it has been signed by more than 1,000 people. What they are seeking is a formal assessment by the Department of justice and An Garda Síochána of the policing needs of the Rush–Lusk area. The Minister will understand that while the number of gardaí working in the Dublin metropolitan region is fine and big, I am talking about the men and women working out of Balbriggan and Skerries, where the numbers are not sufficient to cover the entire area they are in charge of.

The petition is also seeking the provision of a permanent full-time Garda station to serve the community. I am more than happy to take the Minister up on his offer. I will absolutely engage with him, with his officials and his office because I want to see a visible garda presence. His former colleague, former Deputy Farrell, has said Rush Garda station's closure has damaged the local community, leaving it feeling significantly less safe and less secure. The Minister should not take my word for it; rather, he should take that of his former colleague in government. I can refer to it not just because I live in the local area but also because the people who contact my offices in Balbriggan and Rush tell me so. It is true that people want additional gardaí and that very often TDs call for them in the Dáil, but I am seeking additional gardaí, additional infrastructure and the reopening of the Rush Garda station. Indeed, I am also seeking a station to serve Lusk. I have information on population growth to back that up. It is not simply the case that I want more gardaí for my area simply because I know that it would be good. I have the statistics to back it up. I can show the Minister that there has been population growth. The increase in the number of gardaí has not matched that.

Deputy Jim O'Callaghan

Ciara's petition is probably trying to do what many other communities seek to do as well. In effect, she and the Deputy are looking for a formal assessment of the policing needs of the Rush area. I want the Deputy to know, however, that when the Commissioner sits down to decide where the new gardaí coming out of Templemore should go, he does it on the basis of a particular plan. In the past year, it has been for the purpose of achieving high-visibility policing, predominantly in the cities of Dublin, Cork and Limerick. However, he is now having new probationer gardaí put into suburban areas and rural areas as well. I suppose he has to decide on the basis of the needs of the country as a whole. We would all prefer it if the Commissioner put a significant number of recruits into our own constituencies, but he has to adopt a fair basis for all communities. He also has to take into account where the needs are. It is a complicated issue to determine where gardaí should be placed. As the Deputy will probably agree, there is no point in putting gardaí where they are not needed and where there are not high crime levels. Communities have to have a garda presence but there are areas where you need to focus gardaí, and that will be based on the Commissioner’s assessment as to where the needs are greatest.

The Deputy has very eloquently advocated a permanent Garda station in Rush, in her area. What is more important to me is actually seeing gardaí out in the community. We have many Garda stations but it is not the stations that give people a sense of safety. Rather, it is the fact that there are gardaí on the streets or in the vicinity of the station. I will seek to prioritise the continued presence of gardaí in the community. People want them visible. I hear what the Deputy is saying about Rush Garda station. I will consider the matter and discuss it within my Department.

Antisocial Behaviour

Deputy Barry Ward

The issue I want to raise with the Minister today has some similarity to the last issue in that it relates to Garda action, particularly in respect of juvenile antisocial behaviour cases. "Antisocial behaviour" is an umbrella term that covers many different activities. Some will say that antisocial behaviour is just that, antisocial, but of course it encompasses criminality as well. I fear there are certain young people who are behaving antisocially, but by extension criminally, with impunity. They are not being held to account for what they are doing, for the impact they are having on local communities and specific residents, and in terms of their criminal actions.

The Minister knows I have been practising in criminal law for nearly 20 years and have dealt with juvenile cases. I would be the last to suggest we should increase the criminalisation of young people. Doing so is unhelpful in many ways. I will allude briefly to the dysfunctionality of our current Children's Court system and the delays in implementing all the progressive measures that were put into the Children Act 25 years ago. However, on the flip side of that coin, you cannot have a situation in which young people, teenagers, are doing whatever they want to whomever they want without any fear of consequence. That leads to considerable lawlessness in communities and massively interrupts the ability of ordinary people living in them to enjoy their property, get on with their lives, go to work, bring their children to school and even send their children to the shop. I have met people in the Dún Laoghaire area who tell me they will not let their 12-year-old children go to the shop on their own because of kids in the area who might intimidate them, intercept them or even rob them. We cannot allow that to continue.

I have raised this with the Garda. We are lucky in south Dublin's F and W districts, namely Dún Laoghaire and Blackrock, to have gardaí who are on top of their brief, who are working incredibly hard, who liaise with the communities and who are plugged into the situation. However, the problem is that they do not feel they are equipped with either the resources or, perhaps more importantly, the powers to deal with this issue. For example, a 14-year-old who engages in criminal activity in the local area, maybe at a low level, gets arrested by the Garda and is brought down to Blackrock or Dún Laoghaire Garda station cannot be left in a cell on their own, first of all. When they are there, they cannot be with one adult on their own. Two gardaí have to be with them. That takes two gardaí off the streets. They cannot be out doing the work we need them to do at a particular time. In due course, a parent is called. I acknowledge that many of these problems often stem from a lack of parental control. When the parent or guardian is called, he or she comes down to the station and the child is released into that person's custody. They are brought home and they are not even kept in the house for the rest of the night sometimes. No prosecution may flow from that. Whatever about there being no prosecution, the reality is there is a deficit at the moment in what gardaí can do to deal specifically with juvenile misbehaviour, juvenile antisocial behaviour and juvenile criminality.

Obviously, the further up the scale of seriousness it goes, the greater the power of gardaí to act. At the moment, however, people in the Dún Laoghaire constituency, which is a lovely place to live and one that does not generally suffer from major crime problems, tell me that there is a growing problem with juvenile antisocial behaviour. This is a problem that exists in parks and housing estates and on main streets. In Deansgrange recently, the windows of many shops were broken overnight. That was done by one particular offender who, I understand, has been apprehended by gardaí. I do not know the details, but I am sure it will take its course within the courts.

Further up the scale, gardaí may have the powers to act. That is fine. However, in terms of the stuff that impinges on ordinary people and prevents them from the peaceful enjoyment of their properties and their neighbourhoods or from going to work, school or to the shops, there is a major problem. I would love to hear the Minister's proposals for how we are going to deal with that.

Deputy Jim O'Callaghan

I thank Deputy Ward for raising this very important issue. Obviously there is a complexity to how society should respond to criminality by people under 18 years of age but my starting point is looking at the impact it has upon victims. From the victim's point of view, as Deputy Ward has described, it is cold comfort that the person who is perpetrating the criminal act or the antisocial behaviour is, in fact, under 18 years of age. The impact of the offence or the antisocial behaviour on the individual is as significant as it would be if it was being carried out by an adult as opposed to by a child. That is why I start, as I am sure Deputy Ward does, by looking at the impact on the victim.

When it is the case that criminality is being carried out or antisocial behaviour engaged in by a person under 18 years of age, as Deputy Ward will be aware from experience, we have a different statutory procedure in terms of dealing with people who are defined as children under the Children Act. Since the enactment of the Children Act a quarter of a century ago, Ireland's approach has been to divert children from the criminal justice system, with detention being, as it says in the Act, an option of "last resort". That does not mean, however, that detention is not sometimes necessary. Regrettably, sometimes the detention of children is necessary. I am pleased to say that when it comes to Oberstown, we have been able, through consultation with the Minister for children, Deputy Foley, to increase the number of spaces available for boys in Oberstown. That was done as a result of consultation I had with the Minister, Deputy Foley.

An essential pillar of the child-focused approach is the Garda youth diversion programme, and that is effective. It provides a statutory basis for the Garda youth diversion programme. The intention of this programme is to divert children aged 12 to 17 years who have been engaged in such behaviour away from the criminal justice system and towards more positive, pro-social behaviour and life choices. Children who commit criminal offences are considered for admission to the diversion programme. Each such case is assessed and the director of the Garda diversion programme, the Garda superintendent, decides if the case is suitable for inclusion in the programme.

I recently had the pleasure of being out in Dún Laoghaire Garda station with Deputy Ward's colleague Deputy Devlin. I met officials and the superintendent there and was extremely impressed by their commitment to policing the area. Obviously, the challenges they face when it comes to dealing with juvenile offenders is consistent with the problems that exist around the country.

Young people deemed suitable by the director of the Garda youth diversion programme may be referred to the local youth diversion projects where, in collaboration with a Garda juvenile liaison officer, these projects provide supports to children to address their behaviour and engage positively with their communities. People sometimes that youth diversion programmes are not effective or successful, but there is success in respect of them. If we look at the statistics in terms of the number of people being referred to youth diversion programmes, we can see that notwithstanding the year-on-year population growth, the number of children coming to the attention of the diversion programme has generally decreased.

I appreciate that this might not be of much comfort to the victim suffering from the criminality or antisocial behaviour of a person under 18 years of age but there does need to be a Garda response. If the individual child does not want to go along with the youth diversion programme, then the force of the criminal justice system must operate in the way that it should in respect of children. If we want to put in a different statutory regime that does mean amending the Children Act and having a broader conversation about whether we wish to change the way we deal with children or whether want to redefine the age beneath 16. These are very complicated issues that we need to carefully consider.

Deputy Barry Ward

I thank the Minister for his acknowledgement of the work gardaí in Dún Laoghaire and Blackrock are doing. I was delighted to welcome him to Blackrock when he visited recently. I appreciate his attention to the issue. I also acknowledge what he said about the progressiveness of the Children Act. That is important but if we are relying on Oberstown or incarceration for children, the system has already failed at that stage. There are people locally who tell me that there are young children who will say to them when they are confronted about their criminal behaviour that they cannot be touched or be arrested or face the consequences that would apply to an adult. The younger they are, the more they believe that and as long as they believe it, they will continue to act with impunity. They will continue to disrupt the lives of lawful and law abiding citizens in our communities.

It may be that a legislative response is required, but I also think that we should be having a conversation about this and asking ourselves what we need to do to ensure that there is some kind of an arrest to the antisocial behaviour that is creating victims in our local communities. As I said, the spectrum of activity ranges from bad behaviour, shouting or whatever in a local area to much more serious things like property damage to businesses, theft, robbery, assault and more serious matters. If only for the reason that we want to protect those children from the consequences of getting on a slippery slope to more serious criminality as adults, it is incumbent on us a legislature and as a State, on the Department and on An Garda Síochána to put a stop to this. We need to make sure the message gets out to those kids that if they are going to behave antisocially and criminally, there will be consequences and they will suffer them. I recognise what the Minister said about the juvenile liaison system. It has yielded results. There is no doubt about that. Maybe it needs more resources and maybe we need to make it more effective and more commonly used but there cannot be a message to young people, or children in particular, that they can behave with impunity because they cannot.

Deputy Jim O'Callaghan

Obviously, the youth diversion programme does not mean that children cannot be arrested, convicted of offences or apprehended by gardaí. If gardaí come across youths who are involved in criminal behaviour or breaches of public order, they can apply the law in respect of them and it may be necessary at times for them to be arrested. The Deputy is right to say that this does result in further bureaucracy within a Garda station because arresting a child is treated differently to arresting an adult. That said, it still can be done and I want to assure the general public that gardaí can arrest juveniles who are involved in the commission of criminal behaviour. However, that does not mean that subsequently, after their arrest and once they go through that process, they cannot then be put on the pathway of the youth diversion programme.

Deputy Ward will know that generally criminal behaviour is committed predominantly by boys and men between the ages of 14 and 30. Once they reach the latter age, they cop on and they stop engaging in criminal behaviour. The Deputy is absolutely right that we are doing a disservice to people between the ages 14 and 18 if we do not try to stop or divert them. If they are committing criminal behaviour on the last day of their 17th year, once they turn 18 they are inevitably going to end up in the adult system and will probably be incarcerated.

I should have mentioned that I recall being with Deputy Ward out in Dún Laoghaire. I was impressed by what is going on out there but policing of youths is complicated. I want to try to ensure that there are greater resources for gardaí but also for young people. If youths are hanging around, which sometimes happens more in the summer months, we need to ensure that we have the services available as well so that they can do things like play football or get involved in sport and be diverted away from the criminal behaviour. However, if they are involved in criminal behaviour, the law should come down on them relatively hard because if it does not, we are doing them a disservice.

Schools Building Projects

Deputy Robert O'Donoghue

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit St. Mary’s in Oldtown, which is in my constituency of Dublin Fingal West. I want to begin by sincerely thanking Julie, the principal, for making me feel so welcome. What stood out to me immediately was not just the dedication of the staff but the strength of the entire school community. The teachers, SNAs and the board of management are deeply committed and compassionate and are working tirelessly to support every child under their care.

However, it is impossible to ignore the reality in which they are doing this work. The building is over 80 years old and is under immense pressure. Much of the school operates out of outdated temporary accommodation. There are storage heaters instead of proper central heating. There is damp and mould present in classrooms. There are leaks, the floors have holes in places and the temporary building is warped. These issues give rise to real safety concerns.

This is not just inconvenient; it is unacceptable. There are 78 children in the school, including 12 in the special autism class. These children, some of whom have additional and complex needs, are learning in conditions that are cramped, cold and not fit for purpose. The facilities available to them do not reflect the care, dignity and support they deserve. This raises a fundamental question about equity. How is it fair that some children in our education system are taught in warm, modern and well-equipped buildings while others are expected to learn in environments that are deteriorating around them? What message does that send? From where I stand, it communicates something deeply troubling: that some school communities are valued less than others. The same applies to the staff. Teachers and SNAs in this school are on the Department’s payroll, just like their colleagues elsewhere. Why should some educators have to work in cold, inadequate conditions, while others do not? Their dedication should be matched with basic standards of safety and comfort.

The school is currently at stage 2a of the planning process for a new building, but progress has been slow. In the meantime, the conditions remain the same or worsen. The reality is that delays have real human consequences. They affect children’s learning, well-being and sense of belonging. They affect staff morale and their ability to deliver the high-quality education they are striving to provide. I also want to acknowledge and thank those who have been supporting the school and advocating on its behalf.

I am asking for two things. The first is that the Department acknowledge the reality that the accommodation currently being provided at St. Mary’s Oldtown is substandard and not acceptable for any child or staff member. The second is that urgent action be taken. This means progressing the long-delayed building project to the next stage without further delay, and in the interim, providing funding for essential works to address the most immediate issues, such as heating, safety and basic infrastructure in the school. Ultimately, this is about fairness. It is about dignity. It is about ensuring that every child, regardless of where they live, has access to a safe, warm and supportive learning environment. St. Mary’s Oldtown is a school full of potential, care and commitment. It deserves a building that reflects that.

Minister of State at the Department of Finance (Deputy Robert Troy)

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it gives me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, to outline to the Dáil the current position in relation to the school building project for St. Mary's Oldtown, County Dublin. This project was approved to enter the Department of Education and Youth’s pipeline under the additional school accommodation scheme and is devolved for delivery to the school authority.

The project will provide three mainstream classrooms, one special education tuition room and a two-classroom special educational needs base. The project is currently at stage 2a, detailed design, of the architectural design process. The stage 2a report has been submitted to the Department and is currently under review from both a technical and cost perspective. All projects, including this one, are subject to the full due diligence requirements set out in the Department’s infrastructure guidelines.

Although this project is not within the first tranche of school building projects recently published in the NDP sectoral investment plan, it remains part of the Department’s overall pipeline of school building projects. The NDP sectoral plan involves a very 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 the project roll-out.

The Department will continue to build on the progress made over recent years by continuing to roll out projects on a prioritised basis to meet the most urgent needs in terms of provision of additional capacity and modernisation of existing facilities. As part of planning ahead for the next tranche of projects to progress to tender, the Department-led prioritisation process will continue over the course of 2026 and 2027 in order to assess and evaluate the progression of individual projects through the design pipeline, having regard to the continual need to maximise existing capacity and determine the prioritised needs going forward. This process will involve engagement with key stakeholders and individual schools and will ultimately inform the next tranches of programme roll-out to tender. The Department-led energy and condition survey of the school estate, which will be finalised later in 2026, will provide an additional evidence base for assessing priorities.

Based on the ongoing prioritisation process, some projects may be added to the list over the course of 2026 and 2027, having regard to their prioritisation and urgency of need, and taking account of the ongoing ability to progress them to tender and construction within the parameters of overall funding. Where appropriate, the Department will also assess opportunities to undertake advance enabling works for the most urgent and complex projects to facilitate a smooth progression to construction in 2028 and beyond. Any interim accommodation requirements will continue to be assessed and considered by the Department on a case-by-case basis to determine the prioritised needs and approach for addressing same.

Deputy Robert O'Donoghue

I accept that due diligence needs to be carried out, that everything needs to be ticked off and that the boxes need to be ticked. The year 2028 would mean a long time waiting for the next tranche, so I thank the Minister of State for clarifying that additional projects may be taken on in the interim if the school reaches significant progression within the project stages. In the spirit of moving this on, the school has recently requested a meeting between the Minister, Deputy Naughton, and the board of management. While an agenda was sought by the Minister's office, a meeting has yet to be confirmed. I would strongly urge that this engagement takes place without further delay. I would be happy to invite the Minister, Deputy Naughton, to the school and would be happy to facilitate such a meeting with the school community and board, should that be necessary.

Deputy Robert Troy

Deputy O'Donoghue will appreciate that I am answering on behalf of my colleague. He has made a strong and compelling case for additional works at this school in the very near future. We were all disappointed when the announcement was made some months ago if schools that we articulate on behalf of in our respective constituencies were excluded. The amount of resources is always finite, so there has to be prioritisation. From my perspective, and even from the Deputy’s perspective, I am happy to see in this reply that the Department is not cutting out the possible inclusion of other schools depending on the need in 2026 and 2027. It is helpful that it allows for the opportunity for enabling works to be done that would allow it to go to construction in 2028. To me, that indicates a Department that is willing to work with the school authorities to ensure that any additional works that can be done in 2026 and 2027 will be done, which is welcome. There is also an acknowledgement that, at a time of resource constraints, it may be possible to do enabling works so that shovels are ready to hit the ground in 2028.

The Deputy has made a case on behalf of the school in question. I undertake to relay what he has said to the Minister, Deputy Naughton.

Schools Building Projects

Deputy Malcolm Byrne

I want to raise the case of Gorey Hill school in Gorey, County Wexford. This is a school for learners with complex learning needs aged between four and 18. It was officially opened only at the beginning of 2025, although it had been in operation from late 2024. Part of the reason the school was opened was that there was so much pressure on St. Patrick's Special School in Enniscorthy that there was a need for additional places in counties Wexford and Wicklow for young people with complex learning needs.

In fairness, through co-operation between the Gaelscoil, An Foras Pátrúnachta, the patron body, Waterford Wexford Education and Training Board and the Department, this school was very quickly able to get off the ground using a number of areas within the Gaelscoil that were not in use. There is also on the site a very successful naíonra, a preschool provision, operating through the Irish language.

This school is extraordinarily well run. I pay tribute to all the staff there. It is among the first schools that are going to be rolling out the new educational therapy services. However, we are already we are into a situation where this new school is full. The school has to inform parents and others as to how many places will be available. For the 2026-27 school year, there are no new places for admission into the school and that is because the school is already full.

There is a proposal to expand the school. There is a modular development being set out. There is a concern, and rightfully so, among some of the parents in regard to the Gaelscoil and the naíonra and the potential impact it may have on play areas if a modular building is put in place, thereby limiting the number of play areas and parking spaces within the facility. There is strong support for the school, but consideration has to be given to the impact on the existing Gaelscoil and naíonra.

What guarantees are in place in the context of additional places? For those who want to have places in the school from this September, if the modular building is proceeding, has there been consultation with the parents, the naíonra and others who are going to be impacted if it goes ahead? Will the building require planning permission? What is the timeline in that regard? More importantly, the intention in respect of this provision was that it was to be an interim measure. The long-term goal was to have a specially built, fully functioning new special school on a greenfield site. The reason we know this - the Minister of State knows it as well - is that north Wexford and south Wicklow is one of the fastest growing areas in the country. There is a huge demand for special education. We already know, and I know from talking to primary school teachers and parents, about the demands for places within this school.

Our long-term goal is that we get the commitment that was made - a very clear commitment and timeframe for the building of a school for those with complex learning needs. It is important right now, in the immediate term, that we spell out exactly what is going to happen to ensure there is sufficient provision within the immediate community.

Deputy Robert Troy

I am taking this matter on behalf of Deputy Michael Moynihan, Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth, who sends his apologies because he cannot be here today. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter and giving me the opportunity to outline the Department of Education and Youth’s plans to address the accommodation needs for Gorey Hill School.

Gorey Hill School is one of four special schools established for the 2024-25 school year. The school operates under the patronage of Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board, ETB. The school currently supports 37 young people aged between four and 18 who have a diagnosis of autism and-or complex learning needs, with a professional recommendation requiring the support of a special school setting. The staffing comprises an administrative principal, administrative deputy principal, seven class teachers and 18 special needs assistants, together with ten post primary co-operation hours per week.

The school is based in a Department-owned school property in Gorey. Surplus capacity in the building was repurposed to make it suitable for special school purposes and to facilitate the opening of the new school. The repurposing project was delivered under the Department’s special educational needs reconfiguration and modular accommodation programme, which facilitated the school opening as quickly as possible. The programme involves the use of project management supports which is designed to enable the accommodation to be provided as quickly as possible and help ease the administrative workload for school authorities in relation to the management and delivery of projects. This is a collaborative process between the project manager, school authority and the Department of Education and Youth.

The property provides an opportunity to facilitate a co-location arrangement with other schools, which is consistent with the Department’s approach of maximising existing capacity and enabling local unmet needs for special school places to be met. The school is now at capacity and additional accommodation is required to facilitate further enrolments. The site at Gorey provides a good location for expanding capacity with a permanent modular extension for the school.

The Department of Education and Youth regards the current repurposed school building as the permanent location for Gorey Hill School. It is intended that the permanent capacity at the school will be expanded through the provision of the proposed modular accommodation project. This detail is currently being worked through and the Department is engaging with Waterford and Wexford ETB during this process.

The modular accommodation framework is a key part of the Department’s strategy for the provision of good quality functional accommodation to meet the permanent accommodation requirements for prioritised individual schools. Between 2020 and 2025, the Department of Education and Youth has provided €174.6 million in capital funding for Wexford schools. Over this period, a total of 58 schools have been upgraded either through provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or provision of modular accommodation.

There are currently seven school projects in Wexford under construction. One school project will go to tender or construction in 2026-27, and this summer, eight schools are approved to undergo works as part of the summer works scheme. In addition, since 2020, a total of 80 special classes have been opened in Wexford, ten of which were sanctioned for September next. Budget 2026 has secured funding for 3,000 new specialist places and the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is currently examining where these places are best located for the 2026-27 academic year.

Deputy Malcolm Byrne

I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate that he is taking this on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, who has indeed visited Gorey Hill School. There is an acknowledgment in here that the school is already at capacity and that there is greater demand.

The concern I have in regard to the answer that has been provided is whether regard has been had to the potential impact the proposed modular construction will have on the play area, car parking and ancillary services that exist on the site already, and if there has been a sufficient level of consultation around this. Everyone wants to see the school grow, but this should not be at the expense of either the Gaelscoil or the naíonra. I would encourage that there should be consultation with the parents who are concerned about that but, as I said, they are incredibly supportive of the school in the long run.

This is in an extremely busy area of the school. We have a second level school, Creagh College, with 1,000 pupils in the area, as well as not just the Gaelscoil but two other primary schools, all within a couple of hundred metres of this site. It is already an extremely busy educational campus. There are obviously concerns that if we are looking at expanding educational facilities on the same site, some of that will have a knock-on impact. I certainly support and want to see the development of the school. As an interim solution, the modular solution is what may be necessary and the creation of the school was done at breakneck speed, for which I really praised the Department. It was what it needed to do.

I am concerned, given the projected growth in population plus the demand within the area, that in the long term this modular extension is potentially seen as the long-term solution. We in north Wexford have been told many times that when we get a new school, that is the last school the area will get and yet, the population continues to grow and we eventually get an additional school. The Department needs to go back to the drawing board and have a long-term plan to ensure that we have a greenfield site for the building of a new special school in the area.

An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach (Deputy Paula Butterly)

I thank the Deputy. I call Deputy Ellis. Apologies; I call the Minister of State.

Deputy Robert Troy

That is fine. I reiterate that it was very welcome and helpful that he arranged a visit by the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, to the school, where he saw first hand the challenges that are there. The challenge is to ensure the additional demand is met with additional capacity in a timely way as well. The one point I will have taken from the original reply is that there is ongoing engagement between the education and training board and the Department to ensure we can meet that demand, while at the same time not compromising the facilities that are currently there. I will bring the Deputy's message back to the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, loud and clear that the consultation needs to continue but also needs to conclude in a timely fashion to enable that modular unit to be delivered, increasing capacity for the children with special educational needs.

Ultimately, that is what we need to do. We need to ensure that children who have special needs have the opportunity to attend school in their own locality rather than being transferred for miles, because that is not in anybody's interests either.

Schools Building Projects

Deputy Dessie Ellis

St. Aidan's CBS Whitehall first opened in 1964 and is part of the very fabric of our community. It has provided an excellent education for generations of boys from around Whitehall, Glasnevin and Ballymun. Over the years, substantial amounts of money have been spent on maintaining the school buildings and 60-year-old prefabs. The demand for secondary school places and applications for admission to St. Aidan's are high and the school is always hugely oversubscribed.

There are two phases to the proposed new development. The first phase will be the construction of the new, modern school into which the students will decamp from the old, dilapidated prefabs. The second phase will be the removal of the old prefabs and the building of much-needed ASD units, which will include a sensory room as well as special educational needs classrooms. The project was granted permission by An Bord Pleanála on 24 February 2025. However, the school, the parents and the community are dismayed that, to date, St. Aidan's is not listed among the 105 projects specifically highlighted as moving to tender and construction by 2026 and 2027 in the first tranche of the 2026 NDP roll-out. This oversight needs to be addressed, and St. Aidan's should be included on the NDP priority list.

Deputy Paul McAuliffe

As Deputy Ellis has said, this is an incredible school. It is incredibly popular and it does an amazing job. Unfortunately, the principal of that school recently met Deputy Hearne, Deputy Ellis and me to ask the question, "To be, or not to be". The school is at stage 2B and the question is whether it will progress. What is proposed is fantastic. We are talking about 15 classrooms and 15 other rooms, including science labs, construction rooms, technology rooms and special education facilities. It is disappointing that the school is not on the priority list. The Tánaiste has given some indication that other projects will be funded. St. Aidan's and a number of other projects in our area need to be on the list the Department is progressing. We also need to make sure that there is no delay in terms of the school's ability to plan and design the project. Can other elements of the project be progressed while they are waiting for the final construction phase? The school community, the principal and the parents are really passionate about this project. They want it to happen because they know the difference it will make.

Deputy Rory Hearne

To follow on from my fellow Deputies in Dublin North-West, we are highlighting this issue today because St. Aidan's CBS in Whitehall is at the centre of the community. It provides excellent education. We met the school principal and deputy principal recently, who outlined their very real frustration with the lack of progress on promises of new school buildings. Tá foirgneamh scoile nua ag teastáil ó St. Aidan's agus ó phobal Whitehall, Glasnevin and of course the wider area up to Ballymun where students come from. The community needs a school. Tá siad tar éis fanacht rófhada. They are waiting too long. What really is causing frustration is the need for clarity from the Department of education as to why St. Aidan's is not on the priority list. It should be. It is urgently needed. We look forward to hearing the Minister of State's response.

Deputy Robert Troy

I thank the Deputies for raising this matter. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth. I know that Deputy McAuliffe has engaged directly with the Taoiseach on this but it is very positive to see such cross-party support on an issue.

The school was approved to enter the Department's pipeline for a project under the additional school accommodation scheme, ASA. The project will provide 15 general classrooms, five special education tuition rooms, a two-classroom special educational needs base, one music room, one multimedia room, one art room, one construction studies room, one technology prep room, two project stores, two science labs, one prep area, one design-computer graphics room, and ancillary services. The project was devolved to the school authority for delivery.

This project is currently at stage 2B. The stage 2B report was submitted to the Department in January of this year and is currently undergoing a comprehensive technical and cost review. All projects, including this one, are subject to the full due diligence requirements set out in the Department’s infrastructure guidelines. Although this project is not within the first tranche of school building projects recently published in the NDP sectoral investment plan, it remains part of the Department’s overall pipeline of school building projects. The NDP sectoral plan involves a very 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. The Department will continue to 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.

As part of planning ahead for the next tranche of projects to progress to tender, the Department-led prioritisation process will continue over the course of 2026 and 2027 to assess and evaluate the progression of individual projects through the design pipeline, having regard to the continual need to maximise existing capacity and determine the prioritised needs going forward. This process will involve engagement with key stakeholders and individual schools and will ultimately inform the next tranches of programme roll-out to tender.

The Department-led energy and condition survey of the school estate, which will be finalised later in 2026, will provide an additional evidence base for assessing priorities. Based on this ongoing prioritisation process, some projects may be added to the list over the course of 2026 and 2027, having regard to their prioritisation and urgency of need and taking account also of the ongoing ability to progress them to tender and construction within the parameters of overall funding. Where appropriate, the Department will also assess opportunities to undertake advance enabling works for the most urgent and complex projects to facilitate a smooth progression to construction in 2028 and beyond. Any interim accommodation requirements will continue to be assessed and considered by the Department on a case-by-case basis to determine the prioritised needs and approach for addressing same.

Deputy Dessie Ellis

I understand the Minister, Deputy Naughton, is not here to take this really important issue. I appreciate the Minister of State taking it. I hope this does not lessen what we are saying and what we are looking for. The urgency of this and of prioritising it is crucial to the people in the area and to the school itself. They have done tremendous work on this. Everything is in place and ready to go. We need a commitment. I know the Minister of State said there might be a possibility of some other schools being included. We are urging that they be included as soon as possible to get this moving forward.

Deputy Paul McAuliffe

I echo what Deputy Ellis has said. To reinforce the point, this is a very constrained site. It is quite compact. There is a portion of it that is owned by the religious order where housing is actually being developed. In the wider Santry area, it is very positive that we have more housing supply but there is an increasing population. Around the corner on the Swords Road, the Department of education has planned two 1,000-pupil secondary schools. This morning at the Committee of Public Accounts, the Secretary General of the Department of education said there were opportunities to include additional projects. St. Aidan's should be one of those.

Deputy Rory Hearne

It is important that St. Aidan's is included in the new list and is prioritised. I again express the frustration from the school. The principal and deputy principal outlined that they had submitted the developed design to the Department in January of this year but they were still waiting to get a response on that. The Minister of State set out that it was undergoing a comprehensive technical and cost review. It would be good to get a very clear timeframe for when the Department is going to give its response in terms of that review, and to give the school some indication of when this is going to be developed.

Deputy Robert Troy

I thank the three Deputies again for giving me an opportunity to update the House regarding the accommodation at St Aidan's CBS Whitehall.

The Department is committed to ensuring appropriate accommodation is available for all school pupils and will, in the wider context outlined, ensure that each school project under the school building programme is subject to due diligence required under the Government's infrastructure guidelines. The Deputies made a very strong case for the school this evening. Deputy McAuliffe has confirmed what was said at the committee today. It is possible for additional schools to be included in 2626 and 2027.

I assure Deputy Ellis that it is no less relevant that I am taking the debate this evening. I will relay the strong points that the Deputies have made this evening to my colleague the Minister, Deputy Naughton, to reinforce the message that this school has a priority to be included in 2026-27. Even for those that are not included in that, the Department is looking at ways to ensure that enabling works can be done so that when a further tranche of money becomes available in 2028, further schools will be added at that stage. The Department has been as flexible as it can be to ensure the maximum amount of construction work happens in 2026, 2027 and on into 2028.

The Deputies have made compelling cases this evening for St. Aidan's and I undertake to bring that back to the Minister, Deputy Naughton, on foot of their representations here in the House.

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht - Thursday, 16 Apr 2026