Fianna Fáil TD Jennifer Murnane O’Connor has expressed her delight at an announcement of funding for a brand new “fit-for-purpose” building for Holy Angels School for Children with Special Needs in Carlow.
Minister for Disabilities at the Department of Health Ms. Anne Rabbitte T.D. wrote to Deputy Murnane O’Connor this morning to share the news that a new build has been placed on the list for capital funding for this year.
“The news that Holy Angels is to finally get its fit-for-purpose build is just fabulous. To hear today that it is listed on the Capital Plan is really great for Carlow and shows a commitment from Government to deliver this essential service,” Deputy Murnane O’Connor said.
“Getting funding for a new school for Holy Angels was a core promise I made during the election campaign last year and I have not stopped pushing this across the desk of the Minister since then. The Minister has been very engaged on this and I applaud her hard work and the diligence of the Holy Angels board over the past number of years. They never gave up and I promised them I would not either,” the Carlow/Kilkenny TD said.
The HSE Estates Division has informed Deputy Murnane O’Connor that capital funding has now been allocated to progress the design in 2021 of a facility for ‘0-18 Therapy Services for children with complex needs in Carlow, and Holy Angels special pre-school’.
In December 2020, an Architect was appointed to carry out an assessment of suitability of both Holy Angels existing site and part of the vacant Kelvin Grove site, to accommodate the agreed schedule of accommodation.
This assessment report is expected shortly. The report will be reviewed by the project team with representatives from HSE and Holy Angels and this will inform the Design process thereafter.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the Architect’s assessment and finally seeing this school built for the good people of Carlow and its environs, who depend on this service. It has been a long journey, but this is testament to how everyone working together can achieve great things,” Deputy Murnane O’Connor added.
The Holy Angels School for Children with Special Needs in Carlow is a designated pre-school in Carlow for children with special needs from the age of 18 months to 6 years. They have been operating for over 40 years.
“Holy Angels has been on the priority list for a new school building for a long time and this announcement will kick start progress on the much-needed build,” Deputy Murnane O’Connor concluded.
