Vol. 529 No. 3
15 Mr. Sheehan asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress he has made in the acquisition of a site and the provision of adequate funding for the construction of a new national school as requested by the board of management of St. James's national school, Durrus, County Cork, in 1995. [2789/01]
The property management section of the Office of Public Works, which acquires school sites on behalf of my Department, has been asked to secure a site for a new school at Durrus. I understand that a site assessment and valuation is being undertaken and, as soon as this has been done, my Department will be in contact with the school authorities.
The site acquisition will be 100% funded by my Department and 95% of the construction cost of the new school will also be funded. The local contribution in respect of the building costs will be 5% of the final contract amount, up to a maximum of £50,000. While every effort will be made to expedite the provision of the new accommodation, it is not possible to say at this stage when construction will commence until the site has been secured and architectural planning for the school has been completed.
Does the Minister accept that it has taken his Department a long time to finalise this matter? Approximately 40 children attend that Church of Ireland school in Durrus and the conditions in the old school are chaotic. It was condemned by the Department five years ago. I would appreciate if the Minister would take immediate steps to acquire the site and give the green light for finance to construct the new school.
The Office of Public Works is pursuing this matter which we will press to have finalised. It has to ensure the site, which adjoins the existing school, is technically suitable. It has referred the matter to the Valuation Office and expects to receive a site valuation shortly. When this information is to hand and assuming the site is considered satisfactory, it will supply my Department with the details and seek confirmation of our willingness to purchase the site. We will then prepare the formal contracts for exchange. This will be done as quickly as possible.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.
