Department rejects schools’ bids to rectify fire safety fears

More than half of all primary schools seeking state help to address serious fire safety concerns in the past three years had their requests rejected by the Department of Education.

In a formal Dáil response to Sinn Féin TD John Brady just weeks after the Government was forced to launch a nationwide probe into fire safety concerns in Celtic Tiger-era schools, Mr Bruton said that between 2015 and this year a total of 65 state-run primary schools requested extra funds to address fire safety problems in their facilities.

The schools, whose names have not been released, are based in 19 counties across the country, including six in Co Cork, 13 in Co Dublin, two in Co Limerick, three in Co Waterford, and seven in Co Donegal.