Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 April 2014
72. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a school (details supplied) in County Mayo; when this school was first sought from the Department; if he will outline each stage of this application; the stage it is at now; the progress expected on this matter in the next number of months; and if this school was removed from any funding list in recent years. [18256/14]
View answerA major capital application for the amalgamated school to which the Deputy refers was received by the Department in February 2007. Both existing school sites were assessed and one of the sites was deemed suitable for development of a new school building.
The Design Team Appointment Process then commenced in June 2011 and was completed in January 2012. Stage 1 of Architectural Planning, which included initial sketch design, commenced in January 2012. In September 2012, the project proceeded to Stage 2(a) Developed Design, which involves development of the design to a stage where the documentation seeking the standard statutory approvals can be prepared. In January 2013, following a meeting between the School Authority and Department, the school was authorised to progress the project to complete Stage 2(b) that involves seeking all statutory approvals. Following receipt and consideration of the Stage 2(b) submission in November 2013, the project has been reserved for consideration for further progression i.e. to tender stage, pending additional funding being made available to my Department in the future. Due to competing demands on my Department's capital budget imposed by the need to prioritise the limited funding available for the provision of additional school accommodation to meet increasing demographic requirements, it is not possible to provide an indicative timeline for the further progression of this project at this time
