Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The school referred to by the Deputy was approved to enter the Department’s pipeline of school buildings for a project to provide 2 mainstream classrooms, 1 Special Education Teaching room and the refurbishment of 4 existing classrooms into 2 mainstream classrooms.

The responsibility for delivery of the project has been devolved to the school authority. The project in question was approved through its initial architectural design stage following a review by my Department's professional and technical officials. However, the project is located on a challenging site and my Department was recently informed that the school authority had acquired adjacent land prompting a request for a revised Stage 1/2a report to be submitted.

As part of the review of this project, my Department officials have made contact with the school to arrange a meeting in the coming weeks in order to identify the most efficient method of progressing this important project.

In relation to the contextual issues mentioned by the Deputy, the school have been advised that the Emergency Works Scheme is available to provide for unforeseen emergencies that impact on school buildings. An emergency is a situation which poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or the environment, which is sudden, unforeseen and requires immediate action and, in the case of a school, if not corrected would prevent the school or part thereof from opening. The scheme does so by ensuring the availability of funding for urgent works to those schools that are in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation.

Applications for funding under the scheme must serve one or both of these purposes and meet the criteria for funding as set out in the relevant circular, 0068/2020, and its appendices. All relevant and supporting information in relation to such an Emergency Works Grant Scheme application must be provided in order to support a claim for emergency grant aid.