Shane McEntee (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Question 276: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when the site for a new national school in Laytown will be purchased and contracts signed for the building of the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11061/07]

Shane McEntee (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Question 277: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when the site for a new second level school in Laytown will be purchased and contracts signed for the building of the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11062/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 276 and 277 together.

My Department is working at a senior level with Meath County Council and the schools in Laytown in order to deal with the school accommodation needs of the area for September 2007 and onwards.

A site of approx. 15.5 acres was reserved by Meath County Council in the Laytown Local Area Plan for education provision. The land is in the ownership of two individuals. It was originally planned to use the two parcels of land for the provision of the temporary accommodation required by the Junior primary school for September 2007, but as difficulties have arisen in relation to one parcel, my Department has put into effect its contingency plan. This involves a new planning application, lodged on the 16th March, for the temporary accommodation sited entirely on the much larger second parcel of land. The owner of this land has given his written consent to the planning application.

Meath County Council has agreed that the planning application will be dealt with very speedily and, provided there is a smooth run through the planning phase, construction on the temporary school and temporary road will start at an early date. The Department is satisfied that the temporary primary school will be ready to open in September on the new site.

My Department has appointed a firm of Project Managers to oversee and master-plan its project to provide an education campus for Laytown/Bettystown. The education campus will not only provide for a 24 classroom primary school but also for a 1,000 pupil post-primary school (under the auspices of Co. Meath Vocational Education Committee) and shared community and sports facilities. The master-plan for the campus has been approved by Meath County Council Planning Department.

The 24 classroom permanent school building will be delivered for September 2008 under a Design and Build contract. Tenders are currently being sought from short listed contractors. Obviously, the achievement of the 2008 target date will be contingent on the successful completion of the site acquisition and my Officials are working towards that end.

In addition, my Department will be doing a technical inspection of the existing senior primary school building on 11th April next to determine how best to utilise existing accommodation and bring it to a 24 classroom school.

My Department has briefed the two schools on the master-plan and project timescales. The post-primary school project is being tendered as part of a bundle of three post-primary schools in the east Meath and north County Dublin area. The selection process is under way for the appointment of a Design Team to do the outline designs. A Design and Build contract will then be used to deliver the projects, with a target delivery date of 2010 for the Laytown school.

I can assure the Deputy that I am absolutely committed to delivering the new schools for Laytown on schedule.