Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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169. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to support and expedite the provision of a physical education hall in a school (details supplied). [11487/16]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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170. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to expedite the provision of a permanent building for a school (details supplied); and his Department's efforts to date to secure this. [11488/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 168 and 170 together.

In December 2012, outline planning permission in relation to the school development referred to by the Deputy was submitted to the relevant local authority but was refused on the grounds that the proposed means of access would endanger public safety by reason of traffic hazard or obstruction of road users. This was appealed by my Department to An Bord Pleanála but subsequently withdrawn to facilitate submission to the local authority of an amended outline planning permission in 2013, which was also refused on similar grounds. This decision was appealed by my Department to An Bord Pleanála but refused.

However, the Board considered that the matter of assessing alternative means of accessing these lands would benefit from a co-ordinated approach by my Department and the planning authority in the interests of achieving a comprehensive and balanced solution to ongoing access issues on this educational campus. My Department is continuing in its consultation with the local authority to find a solution to the access issue with a view to progressing a further planning application as soon as possible.