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'Breathtaking inequality': Shane Ross under fire over €150,000 funding for private school in his constituency

Ross earlier this week confirmed funding to resurface the hockey pitch at Wesley College.

MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT Shane Ross has come in for criticism after announcing €150,000 in funding for a fee-paying school in his constituency.

The minister made the announcement on Twitter earlier this week, stating he was “delighted to confirm” the funding for the school.

He also announced €150,000 for resurfacing of the all-weather pitch at another fee-paying school Loreto Beaufort. Applications for both of these schools, which are among 1,800 projects receiving funding from the Sports Capital Programme, were initially rejected, but were later awarded through the appeals process.

One woman who responded to the minister said her local secondary school has no sports hall and has to block book the community centre for PE.

Another response said this was “good news for the students and parents who can afford to fund such things themselves”.

“Our school is trying to tarmac a yard, but is relying on parents funding it,” they added.

Sinn Féin councillor for west Dublin Paul Donnelly also responded, pointing out that there are two schools in Darndale that have no sports hall and have to use a community hall instead. He said children in the school beside his office play football on the grounds of the school on tarmac.

Donnelly described the funding decision as “breathtaking inequality” as he pointed out that Wesley College already has four rugby pitches, two astro-turf hockey pitches, two cricket pitches, two outdoor basketball courts, one soccer pitch, a gymnasium and a sports hall.

Sinn Féin TD Imelda Munster today criticised the allocation of large sums of money into private sports facilities, like the fee-paying schools, and a private gold club which charged fees of over €8,000 and which is also receiving €150,000 in funding.

She said this was being done while local public sporting clubs and facilities in disadvantaged areas go without.

“Clubs in middle class areas that charge membership fees of several thousand euros year do not need the funding. If a club can charge €8,000 annual fees from members, then it should use that money to improve facilities. The rest of us shouldn’t have to pick up the bill,” Munster said.

“We need a thorough investigation to look at where this money is going. Clubs like this don’t warrant funding from this programme when there are so many other local sporting clubs which provide invaluable service in communities across the state.

“The very purpose of these grants is to help voluntary community sports groups. This flies in the face of the whole ethics of the project and what it was set up to do in the first place.”

Read: Want to be a teacher? The Government has allocated an extra 280 third level places>

Read: Trinity students occupy building and block entrances in protest against exam resit fees>

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    Mute
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    Jun 20th 2021, 4:48 PM

    Why don’t the government build a brand new hospital off the M50 accessible by road and public transport a hospital that’s not smack bang in the middle of the city and while building the hospital make it so that it has a helipad and no neighbours to protest every time a helicopter has to land in the nearest Rugby/GAA pitch and to alíviate not landing in a pitch have the helipad on the hospital roof. For the love and honour agree a final price all included and tie the contractor into it.

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    Mute Roy Dowling
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    Jun 20th 2021, 7:43 PM

    This hospital isn’t smack bang in the middle the city centre. The hospital has a bus routes stop outside both entrance to the grounds. Sydney parade dart station is 5 minutes walk away. And there is a multi story carpark on the site with another currently under construction.

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    Mute ChronicAnxiety
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    Jun 20th 2021, 7:58 PM

    @Roy Dowling: it is a NATIONAL maternity hospital , not a South county Dublin Maternity hospital,

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    Mute EillieEs
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    Jun 20th 2021, 8:21 PM

    @ChronicAnxiety: the point is that the St Vincent’s site is easily accessible by public transport as well as car.

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    Mute EillieEs
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    Jun 20th 2021, 8:34 PM

    @: the whole point of locating it alongside a general hospital and not as a stand-alone on the M50 was that in the case of complications there’d be immediate access to the emergency services that an acute general hospital provides.

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    Mute Rory J Leonard
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    Jun 21st 2021, 7:48 AM

    @Roy Dowling:

    “Sydney Parade Dart Station is five minutes walk away”

    Ronnie Delaney, in his prime, wouldn’t have ran the true distance in that time!

    I wouldn’t be using that as a selling point for the proposed new maternity hospital!

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    Mute Dave Barrett
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    Jun 20th 2021, 4:32 PM

    Looks like another disaster like the children’s hospital is on the cards.

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    Mute Jeff Rudd
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    Jun 20th 2021, 6:35 PM

    @Dave Barrett: If BAM has anything to do with it – yes!

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    Mute Darren Carroll
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    Jun 20th 2021, 4:35 PM

    Must be an election coming soon somewhere, chap is working overtime this weekend

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    Mute ChronicAnxiety
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    Jun 20th 2021, 8:01 PM

    @Darren Carroll: FG are getting in it on the streets of DBS , does not help that James Geoghegan is on the board of the national maternity hospital and a founding member of renua.

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    Mute Dan
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    Jun 20th 2021, 4:36 PM

    Just start afresh….ask for the so called land that they handed over to be given over fully, no strings, no lease, no funny business.. any strings attached just walk away….everyone will see it as it is…dont waste a penny of our money on those folks… look for land that we do own and build there

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    Mute Mickety Dee
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    Jun 20th 2021, 4:43 PM

    @Dan: I think the sister’s of charity want to be paid for the land. It seems charity doesn’t extend to the provision of a maternity hospital

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    Mute Skipper Mac
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    Jun 20th 2021, 5:35 PM

    @Mickety Dee: as far as I know Sisters of Charity are happy to give the land for the expansion of Saint Vincent’s and the new Maternity Hospital. However under the condition that the ethos of the hospital would remain Catholic.

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    Mute Mickety Dee
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    Jun 20th 2021, 6:10 PM

    @Skipper Mac: But that’s not being offered.

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    Mute Jeff Rudd
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    Jun 21st 2021, 11:45 AM

    @Skipper Mac: @Skipper Mac: They were to gift it to the state – they stated this – but instead, actually gifted it to a further religious setup connected to themselves.

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    Mute Pete Lee
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    Jun 20th 2021, 6:46 PM

    Have they paid money owed from abuse agreements?

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    Mute Annmarie Taylor
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    Jun 20th 2021, 7:02 PM

    @Pete Lee: No of course not.

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    Mute DB
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    Jun 20th 2021, 5:25 PM

    The mind boggles that even St Vincent’s have to be asked to give the land .

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    Mute Benny McHale
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    Jun 20th 2021, 7:36 PM

    Get the Chinese to design and build a maternity hospital on the Naas Road. They’d have it done in a couple of months.

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    Mute leartius
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    Jun 20th 2021, 9:23 PM

    It’s such a laugh. Think back to 2017. In march 2017 Leo announced
    Leo Varadkar says Government ‘cannot seize church lands’.
    “A referendum on giving the Government powers to seize lands owned by the Catholic Church in order to recoup a shortfall in payments for abuse victims would probably be lost, Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar has said.
    Mr Varadkar was speaking after Minister for Health Simon Harris said there would be “significant merit” in seizing hospital and school property in light of a report which showed shortcomings in the church’s contribution to a redress scheme for those abused in Catholic institutions.”
    4 years later, Leo Varadkar says Government ‘hasn’t ruled out’ CPO of National Maternity Hospital site. That’s some comfort.

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    Mute Sean
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    Jun 20th 2021, 9:34 PM

    @leartius: I’m not entirely sure what your point is. I don’t think you are either. A CPO is a forced sale but it’s not the same as seizing. And he’s still saying it can’t be done so it’s not like he’s changed his tune.

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    Mute Ron Ashenden
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    Jun 21st 2021, 9:07 AM

    Can someone tell me why it has to be built in Dublin and not for the whole of the country say Mullingar

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    Mute Martin Sinnott
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    Jun 21st 2021, 7:28 AM

    Stop. Shame on the politicians
    .l just start building

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    Mute Martin Sinnott
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    Jun 21st 2021, 7:27 AM

    Stop. Sh

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