Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

On behalf of the Minister for Education and Science, I will update the House on the proposed new primary school for Scoil Bhride in Kill, County Kildare.

Last November, the Department announced details of 72 primary schools and eight post-primary schools that were given the go-ahead to proceed with major works such as new school building projects, extensions or refurbishments. The proposed new primary school in Kill was one of those listed. The first key step in the project is to appoint an architectural design team which will design and plan the works. To that end, an advertisement seeking design team consultants for Kill was placed on the public procurement portal on Monday, 26 March 2007, with the closing date for the receipt of expressions of interests being Friday, 27 April.

After these pre-qualification applications have been assessed by the school building section, further instructions will issue to all of the shortlisted candidates seeking further submissions so that phase two of the appointment process, the award stage, can commence. I have been advised that the design team should be formally appointed in July.

Officials from the school planning and building section of the Department have been in regular contact with representatives of the school authority since the November announcement and met with them again recently to discuss their interim accommodation needs. This consultative approach is working well and the Department is satisfied that the co-operative approach of the school authority will ensure that all eligible pupils have access to a place next September.

The Deputy makes reference to a Dáil Adjournment Debate of 1 March 2006. Initially, this project was identified as a possible generic repeat design, GRD, school and it is true that this build method can be delivered in a shorter timeframe than would be the case otherwise. However, subsequent technical evaluations indicated that such a build type is not possible on this site. An early construction start date in 2008, with an expected occupation date in 2009, is the new timeline to which the Department and the school authority will be working. The Department will use whatever construction method is feasible that will allow us to deliver this school on this site in the shortest possible time.

Regarding the matter of the site acquisition, the Office of Public Works, which acts on behalf of the Department generally on the acquisition of sites for schools, has identified a suitable site for St. Brigid's national school in Kill. Agreement on the site acquisition has been reached, subject to contract. While draft contracts have been exchanged, I am advised that the conveyancing process continues to be delayed pending the outcome of a planning application by the vendor.

I assure Deputy Stagg that the Department of Education and Science is fully committed to providing suitable facilities for Kill national school at the earliest possible date.

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