Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 497: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views regarding correspondence (details supplied); the action she intends or proposes to take in regard to the concerns expressed in the submission; if other sites or facilities that would address the concerns expressed have been investigated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4003/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is in receipt of the correspondence to which he refers and a reply is in the process of issuing. The school in question is operating with temporary recognition from my Department. At the time temporary recognition was granted, the patron body was notified in writing of the terms and conditions underpinning the grant of recognition. In this regard, it was specifically stated that the patron has sole responsibility for the critically important matter of accommodation. It was also made clear that the accommodation sourced by the patron would be required to meet the needs of the school as it developed and that in the event of permanent recognition being granted, interim accommodation would remain the patron's responsibility until the Department was in a position to provide permanent accommodation. In subsequent correspondence, the patron was also informed that the State-owned buildings in which it had expressed an interest had been earmarked for other educational purposes, specifically, for a school which has secured permanent recognition and, therefore, qualified to attract capital funding. This remains the position and the Department is completely satisfied there can be no misunderstanding on the patron's behalf in regard to this matter.

With regard to schools of differing ethos sharing a site, the development of multi-school campus arrangements is a stated policy of my Department. Such arrangements will form an unequivocal feature of the educational landscape into the future to the extent that it will not be unusual to find a more significant range of school types on one site. It is intended, however, that while individual schools will be arranged in order that certain facilities can be shared to avoid duplication, schools will otherwise be structured to enable them to operate independently of one and other to protect their individual ethos. Under public procurement procedures for State buildings, all health and safety regulations will be fully complied with in the implementation such an accommodation solution and sites will only be developed to the limit of their potential.