Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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196. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department will commit to fast-tracking the building of a permanent school building for a school (details supplied); the stage at which the development is at; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that applications for places in first year for the 2020/2021 school year vastly exceeded the places that were made available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29422/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is committed to providing permanent accommodation to meet the needs of the school to which the Deputy refers. A number of potential site options have been identified and officials from my Department are currently appraising same. Given the commercial sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally, I am not in a position to comment further at this time.

The school is currently located in interim temporary accommodation at Colpe/Mill Road, Drogheda pending delivery of its permanent accommodation. I would like to assure the Deputy that the acquisition of a new site for the school is a priority for the Department and the patron body will be informed of the location for the school as soon as it is possible to do so. In this regard, the school building project will be progressed into Architectural Planning once a suitable site has been acquired.