I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House and I guarantee him I will be as brief as possible. I am particularly delighted he is taking this matter because he knows Cappawhite well.
A request was forwarded to the Department of Education and Science by Cappawhite national school, County Tipperary, for an extension containing classrooms and a general purposes room. There has been a steady increase in the number of pupils attending the school over recent years and, as a result, there has been huge pressure on space in the school. The school has had to use prefabs and its classrooms are overcrowded, which leads to a very difficult situation for students and teachers.
I was contacted by the school's board of management and also by teachers who are very concerned about this situation. The teachers have made huge efforts. As the Minister of State knows, Cappawhite is a very nice area and in recent weeks the school won a prize, in a competition on organised by South Tipperary County Council, as one of the tidiest schools in south Tipperary. They are very proud of that prize. The request for the matter to be raised at this level was made at the presentation of the prizes and I guaranteed them I would raise it. Given how well the Minister of State knows Cappawhite, I am sure he will respond very positively.