Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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438. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the most recent data on the amount spent to date by her Department, in capital terms, on providing accommodation and facilities at a location for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6869/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that when the accommodation for the school in question was being planned in late 2018/early 2019 it was intended to provide a level of interim accommodation for the school based on a limited enrolment intake of 48 pupils each year (2 class intake) as it was envisaged that a permanent site would be secured in the short-term. As the Deputy is aware to date it has proven challenging to identify suitable available sites in the area and giving increasing demographic pressure in Drogheda and Laytown school planning areas as well as pressure from the school in question to grow their intake, my Department allowed the school grow for September 2020 (72 pupils – 3 class intake). It is now clear that the current site is not large enough in the context of addressing the need for additional post-primary school places in the two school planning areas for the next 3 years including September 2021.

The cost to date of providing interim temporary accommodation for the school in question at their current location is €2.12m (€0.36m rental of land and prefabs and €1.76m capital costs).