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

I wish to advise the Deputy that the Department's priority is to ensure that every child will have access to a physical school place. This can necessitate the use of temporary accommodation, as in the case of the school in question, until the Department is in a position to provide a permanent building. The delivery of major school projects required to meet demographic demand will be the main focus for capital investment in the coming years. The five-year plan announced by the Minister, Deputy Quinn, early in the lifetime of the Government prioritises new school building projects, as well as major extensions in areas where a demographic need has been established. Tramore, where the school is located, has not been identified by the Department as an area of significant demographic growth. A project for the school was not, therefore, included in that five-year plan.

The school's building project is at an advanced stage of architectural planning, that is, stage 2b. This stage 2b report is currently being reviewed by the Department. Following this review, the Department will contact the school authority regarding the potential, at that time, for further progression of the project in the context of available funding.

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