Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy and I have been through the process of teasing out the site acquisition. I suppose that it is one of the flaws in the system, notwithstanding the fact that there is a memorandum of understanding with the local authority, when one is seeking to acquire privately owned land and there is a market value on the land. There is an inherent challenge there because of the constitutional right to private property and the market value inherent therein. On top of that, if there is a number of sites that have been designated, there are certain commercial sensitivities around that.

I am confident that because we have been through the Gaelscoil Midleton process together, the same energy is being applied to the challenge in Carrigtwohill. I am confident that once the site is acquired, we can move rapidly. If I retain my position or indeed regardless of my position, I will continue to advocate with the Deputy on ensuring that we can move rapidly to getting these schools built. I cannot give the Deputy a definitive timeframe at this point but both he and the people in that area should be assured of our commitment to ensuring that we deliver within the five-year planning programme. That is the aim.

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