'Totally unacceptable' - Taoiseach told Laois school waiting seven years for pledged new extension

The failure to build an extension to one of Mountrath's primary school is 'totally unacceptable' and a promise to do so years ago must be accelerated, a Laois TD has told the Taoiseach. 

Independent TD Brian Stanley is a former pupil of St Fintan’s National School.

”The delays with the provision of a modest extension to the school is totally unacceptable,” he told Micheál Martin in the Dáil.

In a statement to the Leinster Express / Laois Live, he said he reminded Taoiseach Micheál Martin that the Programme for Government commits to the timely delivery of school projects.

"St Fintan's National School in Mountrath, which is my former national school, has been waiting for a badly needed ASD classroom, sensory room and general-purpose hall.

"The school and the staff are doing everything possible to utilise the existing space, for example, subdividing rooms, etc. The 123 pupils and the two ASD classes do not have enough and are going to be under further pressure in September.

"The extension works that were to be delivered by the Department of Education and Youth - this was first committed to more than seven years ago - were then to be delivered by way of a modular one under the framework agreement the Taoiseach and I are familiar with. However, this was changed in more recent years to a devolved project and was given to the school to lead.

"It is long past time for this project to be moved on. The principal and staff are very concerned about it. The project - and I checked this again the other day - is only at stage 1A," he said.

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Dep Stanley asked the Taoiseach if he would "implore" the Minister for Education and Youth to move on St Fintan's school in Mountrath. MORE BELOW PHOTO.

The Taoiseach replied.

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"I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. Obviously, I cannot deal with every school extension and so on. However, I will raise this with the Minister. There is, again, record funding for school buildings this year, with a particular focus on school extensions for special classes and special education. I will see what we can do in this case," he said.