Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, to the House.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach's office for choosing this Commencement debate. The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, is welcome. I am delighted to see a Minister of State actually from the Department of education taking an education Commencement debate.

I am here to raise the plans for a new school for Scoil Chaitríona junior and senior school in Renmore. I previously raised a similar Commencement matter in, I would say, 2020 and the then Minister, Norma Foley, attended and replied on behalf of the Department. Since then, progress has been made. The Taoiseach at the time and now Taoiseach again, Micheál Martin, went down to Renmore with the Minister, Deputy Foley, back in November 2021 to visit Scoil Chaitríona and to announce a large-scale school building project and the advancement of same under the ADAPT programme. I certainly welcomed that, but that was, as I said, in November 2021, and the school is still awaiting confirmation of progress for its much-needed school building.

Scoil Chaitríona is divided into a junior and a senior school, with nearly 400 pupils in each school. The building is nearly 50 years old and is showing signs of wear and tear like any school building of that age. Indeed, there was a collapse in one of the roofs of the building last year, which obviously impacted on the school. The school has a committed principal, staff and board of management who have advocated for the school for years, and there have been plans for a new school building for over 30 years.I have engaged with my colleague, Councillor Shane Forde, who is a hard-working councillor in the community and is originally from the area. A number of suggestions for a decant or temporary accommodation have been put forward by the school. One of the sites is opposite the Kingfisher in Renmore. Another is the old Corrib Great Southern Hotel site, and another is the building previously owned by Eircom on the old Monivea Road. These sites have been put forward but no one from the Department has come to examine them and look at the possibility, feasibility or practicality of whether these sites would be suitable for a temporary school building while a new school is being built on the existing site. That is the crux of the matter.

Progress has been made. In 2022 there was a further step in respect of a project manager being appointed. In June 2022 the Minister announced the tender process to appoint a project manager had been completed and that the first step for the project manager would be the tender competition for the appointment of a design team for a number of school building projects. Those projects were to include junior and senior schools for Scoil Chaitríona. The Minister stated the Department would shortly advise school authorities of further developments in respect of these appointments. That was in June 2022, under the ADAPT programme.

The school is in limbo. There is good news on one hand, in that redevelopment of the existing school is on the ADAPT plan, but before that can happen a temporary site for the school to move to in the interim must be found. Is there any update from the Department on the identification of that site? Will a representative of the Department visit the school to look at the options it is proposing, including the Corrib Great Southern Hotel and the old Eircom building?

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Kyne for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the Seanad the current position regarding the major building project for Scoil Chaitríona junior and senior schools in Renmore, Galway city. This project is included in the Department of Education and Youth construction programme, which will be delivered under the national development plan, NDP, as part of the Project Ireland 2040 framework. The major building project for Scoil Chaitríona junior and senior schools will be delivered under the Department's accelerated delivery of architectural planning and tendering, ADAPT, programme. The ADAPT programme uses professional external project managers to co-ordinate and drive the design team to achieve the best possible timeframe for the projects through the stages of architectural planning, to tender and construction.

The brief for the joint major project for Scoil Chaitríona includes the demolition of the existing school buildings and the development of two new replacement 24-classroom schools, plus classrooms for pupils with special educational needs, at the current site in Renmore. The stage 1 site assessment and proposed design options are currently under review by the design team and a revised report is anticipated to be submitted to the Department for consideration at the end of quarter 2 of 2025. The design team is also conducting a review of all decant options within the red-line boundary of the current school and is preparing to submit its revised report to the Department for consideration. The design team and Department officials will advise the school authorities of further developments in respect of these decant options and the progression of the stage 1 review.

It is important to reflect on what the Senator has suggested regarding sites and the visits with the Department and the design team. I will liaise with the Department and take his concerns back to it. This is a major piece of infrastructure for the education system in Galway city. It is a significant development and I understand the Senator has been interested in it for a long time. I will take the issues back and ensure there is adequate correspondence and visits between the Department, the design team and the school authorities to move the project forward.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply and for offering to take this back to the Department. The Minister of State mentioned a further review of all decant options within the red-line boundary of the current school. Perhaps the Department is looking at facilitating the existing pupils within the existing site boundary. I am not sure whether that is feasible but, if the design team feels it is, that is progress and a solution. However, the school must be kept abreast of those developments as it is in limbo. There is good news and progress and a design team has been appointed, but there is concern regarding where the decant or temporary relocation will take place to allow for progress on the badly-needed new school building. I thank the Minister of State for his attendance today on behalf of the Department and for offering to take this further within the Department.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator. As I understand it, they are looking at the decant option within the existing site, if that can be achieved. That is one of the options. The Senator has outlined a number of other options available within the greater Renmore area and I will reflect those back to the planning and building unit. This is a major piece of infrastructure and it is important that Scoil Chaitríona junior and senior school projects move forward. A lot of work and discussion has gone into bringing it this far; it is important we get it moving and to construction. I will take the issues raised back to the Department but, from what I understand, the Department is looking a decant option within the site. If that is feasible, it would be the preferred option. If it is not doable, we will have to look at the alternative sites proposed by the Senator. I will ensure we liaise with him and the school authorities as soon as possible to make sure this project is moving forward.