Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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377. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the medium-term plan for new schools in the Dún Laoghaire area, including primary and secondary schools; the patron bodies that are involved; the catchment areas; the estimated completion date of permanent schools; the interim plans for these schools, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44215/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Since 2015, two new schools have been announced to serve the Dún Laoghaire school planning area: a new primary school which was established in 2017; and a new post-primary school to serve Dún Laoghaire and the Booterstown-Blackrock school planning areas as a regional solution, which is to be established in 2021.

Following a patronage process, patronage of the new primary school was awarded to Educate Together and this school opened in interim accommodation in 2017 as Dún Laoghaire ETNS. The patronage process in respect of the new post primary school is currently at an advanced stage.

It is intended to deliver permanent accommodation for Dún Laoghaire ETNS on Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council-owned site at Bentley Villas, Dún Laoghaire. The disposal of this site to my Department was approved by the Elected Members of that Council at a recent meeting. Work on the design of this project is nearing completion and the project manager for the Design & Build programme is working towards submission of the planning application as soon as possible. Until such time as planning permission has been secured, it will not be possible to provide a timeline for progression of the project to tender and construction stages.

A Minister-owned site at Newtownpark Avenue is the proposed location for the permanent accommodation for the new post primary school. Again, it is not possible to give an indication of the expected completion date for this new school building at this time. The design of this project is now progressing towards submission of a planning application which will be the next key milestone.

Dún Laoghaire ETNS is currently operating from a temporary location on Eblana Avenue. It will remain there until work on modular accommodation on the campus of the Red Door School at Monkstown Avenue is completed early in the New Year. The school will be accommodated there on an interim basis pending delivery of its new school building.

My Department is currently working to arrange suitable interim accommodation for the new post primary school for the start of the 2021/2022 academic year.