The continued delay in funding of school building has been a sore for many years. So many of our children have been educated in prefabs in Tramore, Waterford and elsewhere. New schools have been promised but the tendering process is so slow that it takes years, literally, to get through the system.
Why not speed this up and get projects brought forward to create new jobs. This is great value capital spending.
Last week, we met a representative from the bricklayers union who said the majority of his members were now out of work in the Waterford area as there were so few projects going on with the exception of the new Crystal Visitors Centre
and the Little Sisters of the Poor new Nursing Home in Ferrybank. Tender sums are at their lowest levels for years and there is great value to be had for projects like a school. Waterford is down the list when it comes to school projects. Can our Minister do some more work and campaign on this as well as the roads issue in Cabinet? A stimulus is needed to get the economy going again, talk will not do it alone. Carrying out road repairs and getting schools built that are overdue and delayed should be a high priority.