Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will bring these comments to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Foley. The Senator has made a strong case for the school.

St. Paul's Community College is a multidenominational, co-educational post-primary school under the patronage of Waterford and Wexford ETB. The enrolment for this school for the 2020-21 academic year was 572 and pending validation of all enrolment returns, it is understood to be well above 600 in the current school year. There have been consistently strong enrolments in this school and this is expected to continue.

St. Paul's Community College submitted an application under the Department of Education's additional school accommodation, ASA, scheme. The purpose the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special educational needs, SEN, accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year where the need cannot be met by the school's existing accommodation.

Officials from the Department assessed the application and identified a deficit in the school's current accommodation, based on projected future enrolment. In order to address this deficit, the Department wrote to the patron seeking agreement to an extensive range of additional new and replacement accommodation. This includes three mainstream classrooms - design and communication graphics, DCG, home economics, art, graphics and engineering rooms; two multimedia rooms; three science laboratories; an enlarged staff room; a new special education unit; and two special education teaching, SET, rooms, as well as a range of associated reconfiguration work to the accommodation currently in place at St. Paul's Community College.

While the Department has already been in touch with the patron regarding the permanent accommodation proposal for the school, the patron recently submitted an additional request for interim accommodation at the school. This request is also being assessed by the Department of Education. Officials are engaging with the patron to finalise and agree the level of interim accommodation to be put in place pending the delivery of the permanent accommodation.

Following receipt of the patron's agreement to the full range of accommodation offered, officials from the Department's professional and technical section will prepare the project brief for the devolved delivery of the project by Waterford and Wexford ETB.The Department of Education will continue to work with Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board, as school patron, to identify and advance the optimum solution to meet the long-term needs of St. Paul's Community College.