Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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229. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the outcome of a meeting in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24376/14]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that I recently met with the school authorities that are involved in the proposed post primary school amalgamation building project. In that regard, the schools concerned acknowledged the steps being taken by my Department to acquire a site for the development of a building for the new amalgamated school.

The Deputy is aware that the religious congregation that owns existing school properties in Ennistymon has offered to transfer the properties concerned to the State as part of its offer made in response to the publication of the report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (the Ryan Report). The Government has agreed to accept this and a number of other properties offered by the Congregation. The land in question, together with the lands already in the ownership of the Department, will be sufficient to meet the overall site requirements of the new school.

My Department through the Chief State Solicitor's Office is currently working with the Solicitors acting on behalf of the Congregation concerned on the legal procedures and mechanisms required to facilitate the transfer of this additional land.

The question of locating the primary school, Scoil Mhainchín Ennistymon, on the post primary school campus was also raised at the meeting. In that regard a technical assessment of the site to assess if it can accommodate all the schools concerned is being arranged. My Department will be in further contact shortly with the schools concerned in the matter.