Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 September 2012
133. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the purchase of the site for the new permanent Gael Scoil in Ashbourne, County Meath will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40065/12]
View answer134. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the minimum time needed for the planning and construction of a typical eight classroom primary school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40066/12]
View answer135. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has confidence that the new permanent school for the Ashbourne Gaelscoil, County Meath will be completed and opened in time for the start of the September 2013 school year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40067/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 133, to 135, inclusive, together.
My Department has sought the assistance of, and is working closely with, the relevant Local Authority in relation to identifying and acquiring a suitable site for the school to which the Deputy has referred. Due to commercial sensitivities attaching to site acquisitions generally, it is not possible to comment further on the site acquisition aspect of the project at this time. Once a site has been procured, the project will proceed to architectural planning and the appointment of a design team. A building project for an 8 classroom school would be generally expected to take between 30 and 36 months from the time of appointment of a design team to the completion of construction. However, the exact timeframe will be dependent on a number of factors including the granting of planning permission for the proposed building. In the meantime, the school in question will continue to be located in temporary accommodation pending the provision of a new school building.
