Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 December 2004
211 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Education and Science if she will ensure that the application by a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow for a new school building is sanctioned as soon as possible; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32848/04]
View answerThe school referred to by the Deputy is listed as a refurbishment-extension project for proceeding to tender and construction as part of the 2004 schools building programme. Following discussions and correspondence with the Department, the board of management has advised the Department that it will purchase a site for a new school provided the project is changed to a new school.
The Department has agreed to facilitate the exploration of this request provided it can be achieved within the existing budget set for the project. The Department has made it clear to the board of management that the onus is on it to explore the new school option within an indicative timescale set by the Department. It is envisaged that interaction with the Department will be kept to a minimum.
However, in the event of it not proving possible to progress the new school option for site acquisition and budgetary reasons, for example, the project will revert to a refurbishment or extension of the existing school. The board of management has accepted this and is currently working on the acquisition of a site. It has been authorised to engage a design team to commence design work on the school when this process is complete.
