Written answers

Thursday, 26 January 2012

Department of Education and Skills

Schools Amalgamation

5:00 pm

Photo of Michael ColreavyMichael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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Question 86: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to progress the amalgamation of schools (details supplied) in County Sligo by 1 March 2012; if he will provide an update on the situation and a projected time frame for when this may take place. [4480/12]

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Following clarification secured from the Deputy's office, I can confirm that a major capital works application was submitted to my Department in respect of a new school for the proposed amalgamation of two schools in the area to which he refers. The application was assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale projects and assigned a band 1 rating.

The current status of all projects on the school building programme, including the school referred to by the Deputy, may be viewed on my Department's website at www.education.ie and this will be updated regularly throughout the year. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction will be considered in the context of the school building and modernisation programme. However, in light of current competing demands on the Department's capital budget and the need to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of the project at this time.

As an interim measure, my Department provided funding in excess of €270,000 to the schools to facilitate improvement works to the electrical system, roof, disabled access and for the replacement of temporary accommodation. My officials also met representatives from both schools in February 2011 to discuss the status of the proposed project.

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