Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta O'Donovan.

Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, and I usually talk about finance matters. This morning he is covering for the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Bruton, in respect of a matter of concern to people who live close to me. I know the Minister of State is somewhat aware of the situation, which has been going on for some time. I will elaborate on some of the facts before giving the Minister a chance to come back in.

Ballinteer Educate Together national school opened in temporary accommodation in 2012 using classrooms borrowed from St. Tiernan's secondary school in the general catchment of Ballinteer and a number of half-sized prefabricated units while it waited for the design and approval process for the new school building to be completed. In September of this year, it moved to temporary accommodation at Notre Dame secondary school in Churchtown. While this is not a huge distance away in the context of the distances many Senators have to contend with, it is a considerable distance for national school parents who are used to bringing their children to a particular facility. Some 280 students from Ballinteer Educate Together national school will share buildings at Notre Dame secondary school with two other schools for at least another two years.

Five years on from the opening of this school, no timeline has been given for when it will return to its own permanent site adjacent to St. Tiernan's secondary school. Some parents have experienced severe hardship as they have tried to facilitate the new arrangements at Notre Dame secondary school. The lack of communication over the status of a new school building has contributed to this uncertainty. Rather than being told anything officially, the parents involved have been getting news through word of mouth or on social media. It is very unsatisfactory. It is shameful that parents and staff first heard of the decision to move to Notre Dame secondary school through Twitter. The issues that have created this situation do not appear to be budgetary and are not related to the planning of the building itself. They seem to centre on the securing of planning permission for road access to the new site. The initial application was submitted in 2012. Today, we are no closer to any kind of decision that will help to get the new school built.

Like the board and the parent-teacher association, I appreciate that these processes take time. However, the continued absence of a solution to this problem has resulted in an unacceptable delay which is now beginning to have an adverse impact on the school's staff, pupils and parents. As the school continues to grow rapidly, these effects will become more serious. It is a matter of time before the children's educational experience begins to suffer. I remain perplexed and surprised by the delays in the tricky negotiations involving external parties about access to the St. Tiernan's site. I have been informed by the parent-teacher association that the Department intervened with a compulsory purchase order to make progress with a building at Gaelscoil Chnoc Liamhna in Knocklyon. I wonder what legal impediments could be preventing a similar approach from being taken in this case. Perhaps it is not possible. We should investigate whether it is and let people know one way or the other. I ask the Minister of State to convey this suggestion to the Minister for Education and Skills.

I would be grateful if the Minister of State could give me an update on how mattes stand with the construction process. It is not fair on the children and the parents to be treated in this way. I have received a number of emails from the secretary of the parent-teacher association at Ballinteer Educate Together national school. They confirm that the position is exactly as I have outlined. They acknowledge that the children are happy in the transitional home to which their school has moved, even if it is further away from where they live. We are all trying to get people to use sustainable travel and to work or cycle to school. The site to which the school has moved is not half as convenient for most pupils as the school's long-term home adjacent to St. Tiernan's secondary school. A stopgap solution has been found. The Department might not consider south Dublin to be growing as quickly as other parts of the country, such as the commuter belt, but it has experienced a huge increase in population, and in population density, as a result of the construction of apartments and other housing units in places like Dundrum, Sandyford, Stillorgan and Ballinteer.That is putting pressure on all the schools in the area.

I ask the Minister of State to convey to the Minister that there is a palpable sense of frustration. The final sentence in that email I received is to the effect that it is unfortunate they have had to reach out to me again but they require actors on their behalf to help build their national school. They have requested if I can ask the Minister, yet again, to make further inquiries on their behalf regarding the progress on building a permanent home for Ballinteer Educate Together national school. I have outlined their case. I believe the Minister is aware of the situation. I emphasise that progress on this matter is needed sooner rather than later.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I apologise on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Bruton, who is unable to be here. On his behalf, I thank the Senator for raising this matter.

The Ballinteer Education Together national school was successfully relocated to the Notre Dame campus on Upper Churchtown Road in Dublin 14 pending delivery of the permanent accommodation at the St. Tiernan's community school site in Balally, to which the Senator referred. On behalf of the Minister, I extend my thanks to all concerned for their work and efforts over the summer months in facilitating that logistical move. The accommodation provided for the school at the Notre Dame campus since September comprises 11 classrooms. It also includes ancillary accommodation. Provisional enrolment data indicate an increase of 40 pupils from a total of 234 pupils in September 2016 to 274 in September 2017, meaning that an additional two mainstream teachers were required.

Regarding progress on the permanent school accommodation, as has been stated previously, access to the permanent site is a complex planning issue. Since June, the Department has met a third-party landowner on a number of occasions with a view to negotiating an acceptable solution to the access issue. As these are commercially sensitive negotiations, it is not possible to comment further at this stage. All aspects are being progressed in close liaison with the local authority in order to ensure that a further planning application has the best likelihood of success. The Department is fully committed to bringing this project to a satisfactory conclusion as soon as issues relating to the planning process have been resolved.

The Senator asked if I would give him an assurance that I will bring the issues he raised today to the Minister's attention. I give him that assurance now.

Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I appreciate that the negotiations involved are commercially sensitive. I emphasise that school authority is aware of the compulsory purchase order, CPO, relating to Knocklyon. I will not ask the Minister of State to further outline those details that are commercially sensitive but I stress the urgent need to proceed with the project as soon as possible.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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To provide further detail on the issues involved, as referred to by the Senator, the only access route into the property - to which the local authority has indicated agreement - involves acquiring additional parcels of adjacent land from two different third parties. It would also involve putting in place a roadway that will need to traverse a protected structure adjoining the site. A conservation architect was engaged to examine how this might be done to the satisfaction of the council without substantially materially impinging on the protected structure. The architect's report was submitted to the Department and was discussed with the council and the third party on whose land the protected structure stands and from whom the land for the road will also have to be acquired. This is a very complicated planning issue. Planning permission for the new building for Ballinteer Educate Together national school and a physical education, PE, hall for St. Tiernan's has been sought and rejected twice by An Bord Pleanála on foot of objections from the council concerning access. An Bord Pleanála asked that the Department and the council work through the issues to arrive at a mutually agreed solution in respect of the issue of site access.

The Minister has said it is imperative that all of the work is done to the satisfaction of the council in order to ensure that a further planning application has the best likelihood of success. If we rush into a planning application at this point without going through the process diligently and carefully, we could set the planning permission process back more substantially in the long term and, as a result, jeopardise delivery of the new school once again. The land adjacent to the school site is in the ownership of a third party and negotiations and agreement - of which the Senator will be aware and which I am sure he will respect - in the context of access are required before a planning application that is likely to be successful can be framed. These negotiations are ongoing. However, as they are commercially sensitive in nature - I am sure everybody will accept that this is only fair - it is not possible to comment further at this stage.

Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail)
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I would appreciate if the Minister of State could supply provide that further detail to me.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I am sure he will do that. I hope this Commencement matter will advance the Senator's cause. I thank the Minister of State for his input.