The project to which the Deputy refers is currently at an early stage of architectural planning. A stage submission is awaited from the Design Team. All applications for large scale capital funding are assessed against published prioritisation criteria which were formulated following consultation with the Education Partners. Under the criteria, each project is assigned a Band Rating which reflects the type of works required and the urgency attaching to them. There are four Band Ratings in all with Band 1 being the highest and Band 4 the lowest.
A Band 1 rating has been assigned to the project in question as a new school building is required to facilitate the amalgamation of Passage West Boys National School and St. Mary's Convent National School. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in light of the fact that this project has not yet received planning permission, it is not possible to give the Deputy a date for when work on site will commence.