Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 541: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the recent safety standards survey carried out on a school (details supplied) in Dublin 22 which found the school to be a health and safety risk for staff and children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3515/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In accordance with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work, Act 1989, it is the responsibility of school management authorities to have a safety statement in place in their schools. Schools are obliged to identify possible hazards, assess the risks to health and safety and to put appropriate safeguards in place.

It is open to school management authorities to have the type of survey referred to carried out and the Department would not necessarily be aware of this. Results are issued to the management authorities of schools in the first instance.

Having said that, the Department is keenly aware of the need to provide a permanent building for the school in question. In this regard, agreement has been reached to provide permanent accommodation for the school on a V.E.C. owned site. The site was recently master planned to ascertain if it would be feasible to facilitate both this school and two other all-Irish schools on the site.

With the completion of the masterplan, progress on the project can now be considered in the context of the multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.