Michael Bell
Ceist:108 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Education and Science when he expects the national seafarers college to be established and operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8123/01]
Written Answers - National Maritime College.
Following a Government decision in May 2000 approval was given for the establishment of a national maritime college in Ringaskiddy, County Cork using the public private partnership model.
The national maritime college will accommodate the Department of Nautical Studies of the Cork Institute of Technology and the Naval Col lege of the Irish Naval Service. Planning for the provision of the college is well under way in my Department. Management consultants have been appointed to support my Department's public private partnership unit with the procurement of the project and an application for outline planning permission for the new college was submitted by the Cork Institute of Technology to Cork County Council in September 2000.
A project board has been established comprising representatives of my Department's public private partnership and planning and building units, Cork Institute of Technology, the Naval Service and the management consultants to oversee the implementation of the project. A prior information notice was published in March to ascertain the level of interest in the market and the project notice was dispatched to the Official Journal of the European Communities on 6 April 2001. The project was also advertised in Irish newspapers on 11 April.
Although at this stage it is not possible to give the Deputy a detailed timetable for the project it is anticipated that, following the EU tender process, the new national maritime college will be available for use in the last quarter of 2003.