Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. It provides me with an opportunity to outline to the Seanad the current position on the major building project for Scoil an Chroí Naofa in Ballinasloe, on behalf of the Minister for Education. I hear the frustration in the Senator's opening contribution and I acknowledge it is a long road for the school to have waited this long for this project to be developed. The major building project for Scoil an Chroí Naofa is included in the Department of Education’s construction programme, which is being delivered under the national development plan. The brief for this project is a new school building to cater for 16 mainstream classrooms plus three classrooms for children with special educational needs. The Senator will be assured that the major building project for Scoil an Chroí Naofa, Ballinasloe, is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning, stage 2(b), which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents.The major building project for Scoil an Chroi Naofa, Ballinasloe, is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The Senator will be assured to hear that stage 2(b) includes an application for statutory approvals and preparation of tender documents. A scope change to increase the number of classrooms and proposals from the local authority to order road and access layouts at the school site, necessitated a new planning application to be submitted for the project. We appreciate that is a complex piece of work in terms of road infrastructure and increasing capacity.

The final grant of planning permission for the project, as currently designed, was received from the local authority in September 2023 and reviewed by the Department of Education. The design team must prepare and submit a full stage 2(b) submission, based on the terms of the planning permission granted in September 2023. A revised or new disability access certificate and fire safety certificate application will be required as part of this process.

Officials from the Department have provided comments to the design team to inform stage 2(b), detailed design, submission, and stage 2(b) submission will be reviewed by the Department of Education's professional and technical team upon receipt. The design team are currently reviewing the programme for the completed stage 2(b) and will inform the school authorities and the Department once it has an estimated date for submission of stage 2(b). On completion of this, a design meeting of all stakeholders will be organised. Again, I appreciate the frustration of the school board, school staff, teaching staff and principal. This is a long-standing project, but I hope that from this contribution, we make significant progress to try and get construction on-site as soon as possible.