Vol. 434 No. 2
439 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Education her plans for the amalgamation of the Convent of Mercy Post Primary School and Balloonagh Convent Post Primary School, Tralee, County Kerry; if a site has been acquired; if plans have been drawn up by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
In 1989 my Department proposed, and the Mercy Order agreed, that the long term needs of Tralee post-primary centre would be best served by an amalgamation of its two post-primary schools in Tralee, at Moyderwell and Baloonagh, into a single post-primary school, to be based on the Baloonagh school building and site, extended and adapted as appropriate.
The Mercy Order has now proposed to my Department that the amalgamation would best be effected through the building of a completely new school on a site in the Baloonagh area which the Order proposes to purchase.
My Department's Planning and Building Unit is now examining this proposal, the implementation of which would involve the provision of considerable capital grant-aid on the part of my Department.
The commissioning of a design team, at the appropriate time, to begin architectural planning of the proposed school building would be a matter for the Mercy Order, subject to my Department's approval in cases where Department funding is being provided.
