Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton. I thank the Senator for raising the matter as it provides me with an opportunity to update the House on the current position and the next steps in relation to the construction of Mungret community college.

As the Senator will be aware, the provision of a new school for Limerick city west, Mungret community college, is included in the Department’s six-year capital programme. The school will provide capacity for approximately 800 students and will also include a two-classroom special needs unit. The delivery of this new post-primary school has been devolved to Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, ETB, which is the patron body of the school. A service level agreement, SLA, was issued to the ETB on 5 July 2018. When this is signed by the ETB and returned to the Department, it will be then signed and sealed by the Department. The ETB will then commence the process of appointing a design team to design and plan the new school and obtain the necessary statutory approvals, including planning permission, fire certificate and disability access certificate. Following that, the ETB will put the project out to tender for a building contractor to construct the school.

The Minister is not in a position to give a timeframe for these steps as it will be a matter to be determined between the ETB and the design team when appointed. The Department will continue to work closely with the ETB in the context of delivery of the school building project for Mungret. I thank the Senator again for giving me the opportunity to update the House on the new school building project for Mungret.