Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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472. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the delivery of a permanent site and building for a school (details supplied). [25670/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The site acquisition process for the school referred to by the Deputy is complete and the school building project is being delivered under my Department’s Design & Build programme. 

The new school building project is in architectural planning stage.  A preplanning meeting with the local authority has taken place and developed design work is ongoing.  Until such time as planning permission has been secured, it will not be possible to provide a timeline for the progression of the project to tender and construction stages.

The school referred to by the Deputy will not remain at its current location for the 2021/22 school year as the space is not available and the agreement with the Gaelscoil was that the arrangement would be for the 2020/21 school year only. My Department is preparing a planning application for interim accommodation for the school on its permanent site for this September.  There has been some delay involved in obtaining a necessary legal consent from an adjacent landowner but this is now being finalised and the planning application will be lodged shortly.

In the interim, instructions have issued to the Project Manager overseeing the delivery of the interim accommodation to proceed with the procurement arrangements under my Department’s new Modular Buildings Framework.

My Department is also considering contingency arrangements in the area and would hope to be in a position to fully brief the school  and the Patron on these in the very near future.