Clarity and urgency sought over Raphoe Community Playgroup

The plight of the Raphoe Community Playgroup, whose building has been condemned due to defective concrete blocks, has been raised in the Dáil.

Sinn Féin Deputy Pearse Doherty has blasted the government for their handling of the matter.

The Raphoe Community Playgroup will close next month and, unless a temporary home is found, will not be able to reopen in September.

Families of the 45 children who attend the facility and staff are in limbo.

The community fund-raised to build the premises in 2000, but earlier this year they were left stunned when an engineer confirmed the presence of defective concrete blocks and advised that the structure will have to be demolished.

“Minister, your government has not provided any support or advice for community organisations affected by this crisis,” Deputy Doherty said.

“They are not included in your government’s already flawed redress grant and they are not alone, many community organisations in Donegal are in the same position.

“This is the next facet of this crisis that is emerging. Where will these community organisations go when their buildings are eventually condemned?

“People in Raphoe want to know if there will be funding to rebuild things and others across the county want to know what will happen when it’s their turn to move out of their premises.

“Government need to provide more clarity on this.”

In March, a fundraising campaign was launched to aid with the rebuild of the centre.

The Minister for Children, Roderic O’Gorman, previously said that a temporary location is under review and his department will assist in funding the relocation. However, there has yet been no tangible advancement of that plan,

The Raphoe Community Playgroup has been in operation since 1982 and there are real fears that families will have to seek alternative arrangements for their children.

Deputy Doherty said: “Put yourself in the shoes of one of those parents or one of those staff members.

“You’ve talked about helping the parents to find suitable accommodation, or suitable placements if no suitable accommodation can be found. Nobody knows where this accommodation or these placements are.

“It’s simply not good enough that staff and parents are left in limbo.

“The playgroup itself have identified a place where one of their rooms could relocate to on a temporary basis but this still has to be approved by Tusla and that still hasn’t happened.

“Also, the fact is that the town of Raphoe want their designated permanent playgroup building that they raised money to build.

“They rightfully will not settle for anything less and I support them in that”.