Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 173: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her Department's technical team has completed their assessment of the best way to progress a project (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19384/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy was one of a number of schools I announced in 2005 to progress through architectural planning.

The long term projected enrolment has recently been reassessed for this school. As the brief for the project was subsequently increased, my Department's technical team carried out an assessment to determine how best to progress the project. It was decided that the project is a suitable candidate for an 8 Classroom Generic Repeat Design (GRD) school. The Board of Management subsequently accepted this proposal.

Officials from my Department wrote to the Board of Management in May 2007 requesting a Stage 3 submission. When the stage 3 submission is received in my Department, my Officials will arrange a meeting with the School Authorities and their Design Team in order to evaluate the documentation. It is envisaged that unless there are very exceptional circumstances involved, the meeting will be sufficient to authorise the project to progress to the next stages of architectural planning.

Progression of the project to tender and construction will be considered in the context of the multi-annual School Building and Modernisation programme.