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

I can sympathise with what Deputy Thomas Byrne said but the Department is dealing with about 2,000 projects at any given time. It has to operate on the basis of devolved responsibility where design teams develop these proposals on behalf of the patron and make submissions. The decision here to move from a two stage to a one-stage phase was the right one. That decision caused a delay but it was the correct one. There are mistakes in this process but in this case the correct decision was made. It caused a delay but it will mean that a fully integrated project will be completed in one piece for the pupils concerned. That is what we want to deliver.

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