Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 616: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the situation with respect to an application by a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow for a new school; the stage this is at; the actions taken to date, to include a list of all meetings between officials of her Department and representatives from the school; the plans, designs and so on that have been submitted to date; if these are in order; if not the situation with same; the official in her Department on the project; if she will meet with a delegation from the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12810/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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This project referred to by the Deputy was listed on the 2005 School Building Programme to go to tender and construction for a new 10 classroom school building, when the architectural planning was completed.

As this is a special school the brief for the project has evolved over time with input from the school, my Department's Technical staff and Inspectorate. My Department is anxious that the facilities to be provided will be of a very high standard and suitable for use by pupils with special needs.

In June 2006 a meeting was held between the Board of Management, the project's Design Team and officials from my Department. The purpose of the meeting was to agree the brief for the project. It was also decided at that meeting that once the Board and the Design Team have indicated that the stage 3 documentation was ready for examination a round table meeting will be held, the main aim of which will be to try and approve the submission. In December 2006 the Design Team forwarded some revised drawings to my Department for review. A reply issued to the Design team on the 18th December 2006 instructing them to proceed on the basis of their submission and incorporating the comments of my Department's Technical Staff. My Department is currently awaiting a revised stage 3 submission. When this is received a meeting will be arranged with a view to getting the submission cleared.

My Department's main role is concentrated on ensuring that the design solution presented at stage 3 meets the requirements of the brief and complies with my Department's technical documents. Once the formal stage 3 submission is received, it will be appraised to ensure it meets these criteria and thereafter devolved approval will be given to the school authorities to deliver the project to planning permission, tender and construction.