As the Deputy may be aware, the Fingal School Model is an agreement reached with Fingal County Council and is a partnership approach to fast-track the delivery of schools and community facilities throughout the Fingal Area. The intention is that the agreed approach will match the rapid pace of housing development in the area with the delivery of schools while at the same time providing important facilities for community use.
For the development of schools, the Fingal Local Authority will make land in its ownership available at a reduced cost to the DES; negotiate the purchase of lands from developers at a reduced cost and in return, the DES will invest part of the savings achieved in enhanced sports/community facilities which will also be funded by the County Council.
Where Fingal County Council succeeds in delivering sites for schools at favourable terms, the Department undertakes to purchase the site and proceed to construction of the permanent school building in accordance with a timetable to be agreed.
Where land for school building purposes has been acquired by the Council on behalf of the Department from a developer/landowner the amount to be re-invested in enhanced shared school/community facilities shall be calculated at 50% of the difference between the accepted market value of the lands and the actual purchase price at the time of an agreed valuation.
Where land being transferred for school building purposes has been in the Council's ownership for 5 years or more, the percentage re-investment in enhanced shared school/community facilities shall be calculated at 40% of the savings on land acquisition at the time of an agreed valuation.
The Council will not impose any additional charges for administration or other costs.
A mutually agreed Valuer will be assigned to advise on appropriate valuations on a site-by-site basis.
To date, Fingal County Council has completed the transferred two sites into the legal ownership of the Department. The Department has met its full commitments under the agreement in relation to these sites. Fingal County Council has acquired a further number of sites on which it is intended to deliver new schools for September 2008. The legal transfer of ownership is proceeding in relation to these sites and the Department will make its contribution at the appropriate time. In this context, senior officials of the Department recently met with Fingal County Council with a view to expediting these transfer, under the terms of the agreement.