St Eunan's College funding
Charles Ward objected to St Eunan’s College in Letterkenny being excluded from school capital funding, citing overcrowding and preparation already completed. The Taoiseach said he would raise it with the education Minister and noted broader increases in school investment.
I want to address the decision announced last week to exclude St. Eunan's College, Letterkenny, from the latest school capital funding allocation. We need to be clear about this. This school was doing everything it could do, getting everything ready and engaging with the Department. Planning permission has been in place since 2022 and an agreed pathway for progression has been made. I visited the college last week. It is overcrowded and temporary buildings are now becoming permanent. The children in the community have the right to dignity and safety at home and at school but they have been failed twice now. Going from unsafe homes to unsafe learning environments is not ideal. Only one Donegal project was approved for funding, which is welcome, but other counties received multiples. I ask that the Taoiseach look at this decision and revisit it as a matter of urgency so we can work with St. Eunan's. Will the Government commit to immediately engaging with St. Eunan's College to fix this injustice? It needs all the help it can get.
Comment on this
I will talk to the Minister for education with respect to the college the Deputy has raised. There is a broader issue. We have dramatically increased spending for second level and primary schools in terms of investment. The national development plan represents a further expansion and increase in projects. We will continue to keep all of this under review and do everything we can to progress as many schools as possible that need extensions or completely new builds in some cases.