The provision of second level school facilities in Newport, County Mayo, under the aegis of County Mayo VEC was given approval by my Department in June 1998. The pre-selection of contracts for the new school building project were received in the building unit of my Department in July 2002. As with all proposals involving major capital expenditure, it is essential to confirm that the provision of a new second level school in Newport is necessary, having regard to pupil numbers and existing provision in the general area, before it can be allowed to proceed to the next stage, invitation of tenders. It is in this context that a review of second level provision in the Newport area is being undertaken by the planning section of my Department. A decision on the Newport proposal will be taken on foot of this review.