Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it gives me an opportunity to outline to the House my Department's position on the construction of a new school building for St. Colman's boys national school and convent girls national school in Kanturk, County Cork. As the Deputy is aware and as he has outlined, my Department is endeavouring to maximise the efficient use of all available capacity in the public sector to assist in the delivery of the schools programme. In this context, the new school building in Kanturk referred to by the Deputy is one of 15 schools where responsibility for the delivery of the projects was devolved to the Office of Public Works. A service level agreement is in place between my Department and the Office of Public Works which outlines the roles and responsibilities of each of the parties in the delivery of education projects. It is a central tenet of devolution that responsibility for the delivery of projects, within certain agreed timeframes and parameters as laid down in the service level agreement, rests with the Office of Public Works.

In August 2012 a planning application for the construction of a new 24 classroom national school in Kanturk was lodged with Cork County Council by the Office of Public Works. In September 2012 a request for further information was received from Cork County Council covering access, drainage issues and landscaping. The Office of Public Works submitted a response to the issues raised in March 2013. Subsequently, in April 2013 Cork County Council notified the Office of Public Works that planning permission for the new school had been refused. Cork County Council stated it was willing to work with the Office of Public Works and my Department to endeavour to deliver the proposed school within a reasonable timeframe and that senior officials would be available to arrange pre-planning meetings to consider a revised planning application.

Officials in the building unit of my Department are examining the reasons given by the local authority as to why planning was refused and whether these reasons can be addressed from a value for money perspective. The Department will continue to liaise with the Office of Public Works, Cork County Council and other relevant stakeholders to establish if a solution can be found that is satisfactory to all concerned. Separately, my Department, in consultation with the patron and school authorities, has undertaken a recent review of demographic needs in Kanturk. The outcome of this review is that a 16 classroom new school building is sufficient to meet the long-term needs of the area. My Department has received written agreement from the patron's office and the school authorities to this change to the brief.

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