asked the Minister for Education if he will make a site available for the proposed new city centre vocational school following the withdrawal of the offer of a site on the Phibsboro Road, Dublin.
20.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Vocational Schools.
19.
asked the Minister for Education the plans he has for dealing with the problem of severe overcrowding in Parnell Square and Denmark Street vocational schools, Dublin.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions 19 and 20 together.
The question of obtaining a site for the proposed new city centre vocational school is a matter for the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee in the first instance. I understand that the committee have been endeavouring to obtain an alternative site since the offer of the Phibsboro Road site was withdrawn.
The proposed new school is intended to replace the present accommodation in the Parnell Square and Denmark Street schools.
I shall give urgent consideration to any proposal from the committee for the acquisition of a suitable site.
Is the Minister aware that the VEC have been investigating the acquisition of this site in the past one or two years, that the committee had pinned their hopes on this, that there is no live prospect of the site being available, and would he there-fore put the services of the Department at their disposal——
This was referred to on a previous question. The facilities available to me are at the disposal of the committee. It is a big disappointment that the site, which we thought had been acquired, is now no longer available.
Does the Minister agree that this might form the basis for the Department to begin and maintain some form of land bank?
In this context I do not think "land bank" are the appropriate words.