Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this. He is right. This has had a considerable history and I can understand how people might get confused at the development. I will set it out for the Deputy as clearly as I can.

Lucan community college caters for both boys and girls and operates under the patronage of the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board, ETB. The college has been in operation since 1987. Enrolment in the college for 2015-16 was 875 pupils, a 5% increase over the previous five years. Temporary accommodation has been installed on-site to cater for the increased enrolments in the school.

The brief for this project of an extension and refurbishment to the permanent modern accommodation is to cater for 1,000 pupils and a classroom special needs unit on the existing school site. The original design team for the project was appointed in June 2011 on a more restricted brief for an extension to the existing school. This project reached completion of stage 1, architectural planning, in April 2013. As part of that work and following an assessment of the current accommodation, it was agreed by the Department that extensive additional refurbishment works to the existing school would also be required. The Department approved a significant increase in the scope of works for the project to incorporate those refurbishment works. However, directly arising from this very significant expansion in the scope of works, it was necessary to commence a tender exercise for the appointment of a new design team to take the project forward from that point. This process was conducted by the ETB and was completed in October 2014. Tendering rules require that if the value of a project increases by more than 50% a new design team tender has to take place. The new design team was authorised to proceed to stage 2, architectural planning - developed design, in other words the detailed layout.

In March 2015, officials from my Department met with the ETB and its design team about the progression of the project. Further information was requested from the design team, including a reconciliation of areas. This was reviewed by my Department and an increase in the size of the proposed accommodation of more than 1,000 sq. m extra was approved. The newly appointed design team sought a further meeting with the Department to discuss the increased accommodation and to reconcile the areas. My Department facilitated this meeting in June 2016. The stage 2 report was submitted to the Department on 7 November 2016.

Following the stage 2 stakeholders' meeting, which was held on 30 November 2016, the ETB and its design team were requested to submit a stage 2 addendum addressing issues which arose at that meeting. This addendum was submitted by the ETB on 22 December and my Department commenced its review of the report in early January 2017.

Once that review is complete my Department will revert to the ETB with regard to the further progression of the project.

Upon successful completion of stage 2A the project will progress to complete stage 2B, detailed design, which involves obtaining planning permission, fire certificate and disability access certificate, and the completion of tender documents. Following completion of stage 2B the project will then be progressed to tender and construction stages.

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