Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware, officials from my Department have been working closely with officials from the relevant Local Authority to secure a suitable site to facilitate the delivery of permanent school accommodation for the school to which he refers.

Agreement in principle has been reached in relation to the acquisition by the Department of a site in the ownership of the Local Authority. The site in question is the current location of the school’s temporary accommodation and has been deemed to be technically suitable for the development of permanent accommodation.

Certain complex title issues associated with the site were identified as part of the standard conveyancing process. In order to overcome these the Local Authority initiated a Compulsory Purchase Order process. This process is subject to statutory timeframes but is now at an advanced stage. Once complete, my Department will work with the Local Authority to progress the transfer of ownership of the site into my name.

Once the site has been secured, it is my Department’s intention to initiate the architectural planning process for the provision of a new school building.