Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The school referred to by Deputy Coppinger opened in September this year in interim accommodation, which everyone agrees is not satisfactory accommodation; that is why it is interim.

Following pre-planning discussions with the relevant planning authority, my Department lodged a planning application in April this year with a view to facilitating the new school coming into operation from this September. However, the planning process was protracted, even after we had pre-planning at an early stage. A request for additional information from the local authority relating to drainage and infrastructural improvements was received, which substantially extended the planning timeframe. As the Deputy will appreciate, the planning process is outside of my Department's control. As I said, we engaged proactively with the pre-planning process at the first opportunity in this planning application.

I am pleased to confirm that final grant of planning permission in this case was received on 17 September. A contractor has been appointed and the school will move from its interim accommodation to this new accommodation as soon as the necessary works to make this accommodation suitable for a school have been completed, which looks to be on schedule for mid-November.

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