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

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter on the Educate Together secondary school and Gaelcholáiste Carrig Uí Leighin. As the Deputy is probably aware, Cork Educate Together secondary school was established in 2016. It is currently operating from part of Nagle community college, Mahon, Blackrock, County Cork. An extension of this arrangement was recently agreed with the school authority pending the delivery of alternative temporary accommodation which is being arranged by the school's patron body. I want to take the opportunity to put on record my Department’s appreciation of the assistance of Nagle community college for facilitating this arrangement, which represents an excellent example of co-operation by the education partners in Cork.

In general, all new schools commence operation in temporary accommodation with a view to permanent accommodation being provided for them by my Department as quickly as possible. Officials in my Department have engaged with officials in Cork County Council under the memorandum of understanding for the acquisition of school sites with a view to identifying and acquiring a suitable site to accommodate Cork Educate Together secondary school. A number of site options were identified and a comprehensive technical assessment of feasibility was undertaken in respect of each option. A suitable site on the Old Carrigaline Road, adjacent to Douglas Garda station, has been identified and the acquisition process for this is at an advanced stage.

Departmental officials continue to work with Cork County Council in the context of the draft Ballincollig-Carrigaline local area plan with regard to the potential development of the site in question. Subject to the satisfactory completion of the conveyancing process and the views of the local authority, this site acquisition is being progressed with the intention of serving as the permanent location for Cork Educate Together secondary school. Development of the site will also be subject to planning permission being obtained. With regard to Gaelcholáiste Carrig Uí Leighin the Deputy will probably be aware that the intention is provide a new building for this school as part of multi-million euro school campus arrangement at Ardnacloghy in Carrigaline. Apart from a new state-of-the-art building for Gaelcholáiste Carrig Uí Leighin, the project also comprises new buildings for the local Gaelscoil and for a special school. The project has been devolved for delivery to the Cork education and training board. While earlier issues with planning permission have caused delay with this project, these have now been resolved and planning permission has been granted so that the project can now move ahead to the next stage.

I am pleased to be able to tell the Deputy that the education and training board's design team is currently preparing tender documents to pre-qualify contractors for the project. When the pre-qualification process has been completed, this positions the project to move to the tender process for construction. However, the existing contractual commitments for 2017 now fully account for the funding which was allocated for 2017 and carry a significant contractual commitment into 2018. This means that the Department must carefully manage the flow of additional projects to tender and construction stages for 2018. My Department will consider a request from Cork Education and Training Board for approval to proceed to tender for the full campus project when the pre-qualification process outlined has been completed. Our aim will be to progress all projects as quickly as possible, as soon as funding becomes available. In the meantime, Gaelcholáiste Carrig Uí Leighin is being accommodated temporarily in premises locally.

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