Vol. 562 No. 3
13 Mr. Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on whether 18 years is an acceptable length of time for a second-level school to wait for a sports facility, as is the ongoing case with Collinstown Park community college; and if not, his plans to ensure such a facility is developed. [5882/03]
26 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will consider the possibility of a public-private partnership between his Department and South Dublin County Council to construct a multi-use sports facility that will benefit Collinstown Park community college and other schools and clubs in the Neilstown-Rowlagh area. [5883/03]
75 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Education and Science the estimated timeframe as to when Collinstown Park Community College will move past the pre-tender stage of the schools building programme in relation to its planned sports hall. [5884/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 26, and 75 together.
Plans for a 1,607 square metres, multi-purpose sports hall attached to Collinstown Park community college are at an advanced stage of architectural planning. In addition to containing a PE hall of 634 square metres, the hall will also contain a crèche, a meeting room, a fitness studio, a multi-purpose area and a range of ancillary accommodation. When constructed, it is planned that the hall will serve not just the school community but also the wider community. In January of this year, for the first time ever, I published the 2003 school building programme, full details of which are available on my Department's website. The programme is intended to consolidate the substantial progress that the Government has made over the last five years in improving the physical infrastructure in schools. A total of €342.9 million is available for spending on schools in the current year and over 550 primary and post primary schools right across the country will benefit from the programme. The Collinstown Park community college project appears on section 6 of the programme. The timing of when these projects can progress to tender and construction is dependent on the funding allocation in 2004 and subsequent years.
In accordance with Government policy, a contribution towards construction costs will be forthcoming from South Dublin County Council through the Department of the Environment. I also expect that funding will be made available from the Department of Rural, Community and Gaeltacht Affairs.
