Tipperary TD slams Department over its failure to deliver new facilities at primary school

Tipperary TD Martin Browne has accused the Department of Education of "utterly failing" Scoil Aonghusa, its staff, its pupils and their families after he said the Department had failed to deliver new Portacabin accommodation.

“Not only were the new classrooms delayed by months. Now the Department has failed to deliver on the Portacabins that were supposed to act as a temporary substitute," he said. “This is happening at the start of the new term, when all measures were supposed to be in place."

The local Sinn Féin TD said that the school was doing as much as it can to facilitate the additional number of pupils on their return by re-organising the use of space, but the fact that they had been left in this situation at this time was a "dereliction of the duty of Government representatives locally and nationally, as well as the Department of Education".

He said that he was doing what he could to urge the Department to respond to this immediately.

“When a resolution is found, the Department and our Government representatives must be held to account for this utter failure of their own making, which has left families and staff counting the cost. I will continue to do what I can to get this scandal addressed," said Deputy Browne.

The TD said that he would like to acknowledge all at Scoil Aonghusa for the work they are doing to adapt to the situation.