Brendan Ryan (Labour)

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I am doing what I can as a public representative for the area to look after the interests of the Minister of State's own children and I am sure he will be happy to hear that.

I know the Minister of State is unable to give any indication of the timeframe for the project but I ask if he is optimistic there might be some progress this year. He may not be in a position to say.

With regard to the decision to purchase and the report from the chartered surveyors, I pointed out in my contribution that the surveyors did not really show any interest in examining the physical aspects of the building but rather wanted to know about rents etc. The Department's decision to purchase a building which was not fit for purpose is questionable and I ask the Minister of State to convey my view to the surveyors. The Minister of State referred to an invitation to the school principal to attend a meeting and I ask when this meeting will take place.