Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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510. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on a new national (details supplied) school in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2255/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The major building project, referred to by the Deputy, is at an early stage of Architectural Planning. The Design Team are currently working on Stage 2(a) - Developed Sketch Design.

Due to competing demands on my Department's capital budget imposed by the need to prioritise the limited funding available for the provision of additional school accommodation to meet increasing demographic requirements it was not possible to include this project in the 5 year construction programme announced in March 2012.

School building projects, including the project referred to by the Deputy, which have been initiated but not included in the current five year construction programme will continue to be progressed to final planning stages in anticipation of the possibility of further funds being available to my Department in the future.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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511. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on a much needed new secondary school (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2256/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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As the Deputy will be aware, 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 land in question, which the Government has agreed to accept, together with the lands already in the ownership of the Department, will be sufficient to meet the overall site requirements of the new school, referred to by the Deputy.

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.

Once the necessary legal conveyancing process to facilitate the site transfer has been completed, my Department can consider the progression of this project. I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department will also continue to maintain its on-going contact with the school authorities in the matter.