Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 267: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the future of a school (details supplied) in County Kerry. [19774/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In recent years a new planning model was introduced for educational infrastructure to ensure that, in future, school provision is decided after a transparent consultation process. In this regard, trustees, parents, sponsors of prospective schools and all interested parties from a locality have the opportunity to have their voices heard in the process.

A draft area development plan for North Kerry, up to 2011, was published by my Department in April 2006. The Commission on School Accommodation is currently engaged in a public consultation process to which all interested parties can make submissions. The closing date for receipt of submissions relating to the North Kerry Plan is 24 May 2006. All of these submissions are considered by the Commission and are also published for public information. This process will culminate in the publication of a Final Area Development Plan which will provide a blueprint for educational provision in the area for the next decade, against which all capital funding decisions including the application for capital investment in the school referred to, will be made over the coming years.