James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Question 60: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when construction work will begin on a new national school in Laytown, County Meath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33961/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has already provided a 16-classroom facility to meet the immediate accommodation requirements in Laytown. The new 24-classroom school building will be provided by my Department under a design and build contract. The procurement process for this project is now nearing completion and it is expected that the contract will be awarded very soon. As part of the tender competition, the initial design and layout for the school has already been done and some pre-planning discussions have taken place with Meath County Council in order to help ensure that it meets their requirements.

Following the placing of the design and build contract, the first task for the successful contractor will be to submit the application for planning permission for the new school. Given the preparatory work already done it is expected that the application for planning permission can be done within a matter of weeks following the appointment. I want to assure the Deputy that my Department is committed to commencing construction of the new school as soon as possible following receipt of planning permission.

Last week I outlined details of how €594 million is to be spent on school building projects in the coming year. The majority of this funding will be targeted at primary level and will enable my Department to continue the process of providing new school places and modernising existing facilities in schools throughout the country with a particular emphasis on meeting the new and emerging needs in developing areas such as Laytown. Since 1997 a total of €3.6 billion has been invested in school buildings and this has delivered over 9,300 school building projects. This further investment of €594m will build on these achievements and will focus in particular on the provision of school accommodation in areas where the population is growing at a rapid rate. The NDP investment of over €4.5 billion will enable my Department to continue to transform the standard of school facilities throughout the country.