Kerry school conditions
Deputy Cahill highlighted dangerous and archaic conditions at Scoil Iognáid Rís in Daingean Uí Chúis and broader underinvestment in Kerry schools. The Tánaiste said capital funding is rising and would ask the Minister to reply directly and consider county-wide needs.
What is happening in schools across County Kerry is simply not acceptable in 2026. I wish to be clear from the outset that we do not have a minor works problem; we have a systemic underinvestment problem. Nowhere is that clearer than in Scoil Iognáid Rís in Daingean Uí Chúis. The school is located in what is considered to be one of the most affluent towns in the country, yet the conditions in the main boy's national school are, in the words of the principal, "archaic". We are talking about children tripping on broken concrete and sustaining injuries requiring stitches, a basketball court from 1980 that is now unsafe and crumbling, a roof and window structures at risk of collapse, no proper toilets, no corridor, no hall, and no entrance space. There was a situation recently where a stranger was able to walk into the school unchallenged. That is not just outdated, it is dangerous.
I am calling for a comprehensive assessment of all primary and secondary school buildings in Kerry to properly identify the scale of refurbishment and modernisation required.
Comment on this
I thank Deputy Cahill for raising this important issue. Of course, he will know I am going to say that, at the macro level, we are significantly increasing the capital budget for education, and quite rightly so. However, at the level that he rightly raises of his own county of Kerry and the specific issues he highlighted for an individual school, I will ask the Minister, Deputy Naughton, come back to him directly on that, but also on his request more broadly that we would look at the school footprint across the county of Kerry and the plans that could be put in place in relation to schools.
I will ask the Minister to come back to the Deputy on that.