Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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178. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the construction of a permanent school building for a school (details supplied) will commence; when the temporary accommodation for two of the school's classes will be in place enabling the classes temporarily located in a school (details supplied) to move back to the Rathborne, Dublin 15, site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43488/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Officials in my Department have been working towards the acquisition of a permanent site to meet the needs of the school to which the Deputy refers.

With regard to permanent accommodation, my Department has reached agreement with the landowner of the permanent site and the acquisition is currently progressing through the conveyancing stage.  Following the completion of the acquisition, the architectural planning process for the provision of a new permanent building for the school in question will commence.

With regard to temporary arrangements, as the Deputy may be aware, this is a developing school which is in rented temporary accommodation in Rathborne, Dublin 15 and requires two additional classrooms in the current school year. A Consultant Architect was appointed in relation to the provision of additional temporary accommodation for the school and it is anticipated that the final decision to grant planning permission will issue from the local authority shortly. This project is a high priority for my Department and work is ongoing to provide the additional prefab accommodation at this location as soon as possible in the current school term.

In the interim, arrangements were put in place in consultation with the patron body to temporarily accommodate two of the classes in a nearby school building (referred to by the Deputy) as a short-term arrangement, pending delivery of the additional prefab accommodation. This school which is currently being used for interim arrangements is a new 16-classroom school which opened in its permanent accommodation only last year with most of its purpose-built rooms available for use. Once the additional prefabs are installed, the classes will move back to the rented accommodation in Rathborne, Dublin 15.