I propose to take Questions Nos. 142, 143 and 144 together. The Deputy will be aware that in early 1994 I accepted the recommendations of Dr. Bannon's report and decided not to proceed with the construction of a post-primary school for the Knockylon area. Following this decision, the question of the disposal of the site arose. A senior official from my Department met the county manager of South County Dublin Council, primarily to ascertain if that council had an interest in purchasing the site for other purposes. The response was negative.
Before proceeding further, I asked that the position regarding the need for a school be re-examined by Dr. Bannon, in the light of the Knockylon post-primary committee's response to the original report and the assessment of it carried out by Mr. Hendrik van der Kamp at the request of the committee. This examination is now completed and the conclusion is that no new information emerged in either the committee's response to the original report or in the assessment carried out by Mr. van der Kamp which would justify a change of decision. Dr. Bannon is satisfied that the latest information available was used to arrive at the conclusions and recommendations in his 1994 report and in his more recent review.
As I undertook in my reply to a question from the Deputy on 29 November last, a meeting to explain the outcome of the review can be arranged with officials from my Department. Any plans to dispose of the Scholarstown Road site will, of necessity, take some time and therefore the site will not be disposed of in the immediate future.