Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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412. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a school (details supplied); if the school will be ready for pupils in August 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17050/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The school building project to which the Deputy refers is due to be ready for occupation for the school year 2020/2021.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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413. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress of a school (details supplied); if the school will be ready for the students for the beginning of the 2020-21 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17072/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that the project to which she refers has been devolved to Westmeath County Council (WCC) for delivery.

The new school building for the project is over 97% complete. There continues to be a very close engagement between WCC and its design team, the Department of Education and Skills (DES) and the contractor in relation to getting the remaining elements of work completed during the summer to enable the school reopen for the coming school year.

In that respect, officials from my Department and WCC, assisted by its design team, met with the contractor recently in the context of the dispute resolution processes of the Public Works Contract. This meeting generated a very positive outcome by way of agreement between the parties of a roadmap for completion by the end of July of the remaining works necessary to allow the school to open in September. Both WCC and the Department of Education and Skills now have much greater confidence that this will be achieved.