Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I am replying to this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, Minister for Education and Skills. I thank the Senator for raising it, as it affords me the opportunity to outline to the Seanad the process being utilised to ensure there will be adequate accommodation in schools at primary and post-primary level in all parts of the country.

The Government, in its programme for Government, is committed to drawing up a new national development plan that reflects Ireland's changed economic circumstances, covering the seven-year period 2012-19. The plan will be based on a comprehensive study of Ireland's public investment priorities in that period. In the initial years, when resources will be most heavily constrained, the programme for Government commits to prioritising investment in a number of specific areas, including school buildings. Modernising facilities in our existing building stock, as well as responding to the emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth, will continue to be a significant challenge.

All applications for capital funding are assessed in the planning and building unit of the Department of Education and Skills. The assessment process determines the extent and type of need presenting, based on the demographics of an area, proposed housing developments, condition of buildings, site capacity and so forth, leading to an appropriate accommodation solution. As part of this process, a project is assigned a band rating under published prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects. These criteria were devised following consultation with the education partners.

A project to provide new accommodation for Scoil Náisiúnta Ghort an Choirce has been assigned a band 2.2 rating under the published prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects. The acquisition of the site was initiated by the Department of Education and Skills in conjunction with the Office of Public Works. Following a process to locate and identify possible sites for a new school building, one site was chosen as the site which offered best potential as the location of a new building for the school in question. As is standard in such cases, the contracts signed for the site made it clear that the acquisition of the site was subject to planning permission being obtained for the construction of a suitable school building on the site.

A planning application for a school building was prepared and submitted to Donegal County Council, the planning authority for the area. The application was not successful and planning permission for the development of a school building on the site was refused by the planning authority. I understand the planning authority has indicated that extensive works to the road network outside the curtilage of the proposed site would be required to make it suitable for development of this nature. In the circumstances, the Department instructed its legal advisers to seek to rescind the existing contract for the acquisition of this site and to request the return of the deposit moneys paid. The deposit moneys have been returned to the Chief State Solicitor's office within recent days and it will be arranging for the moneys to be transferred to the Department.

The next step required in this process will now be reviewed in the light of these developments and taking account of the current competing demands on the capital budget of the Department and the increased demographic demands for additional school accommodation. The school authority was advised last week, by letter, of the position.