Written answers

Tuesday, 19 October 2021

Department of Education and Skills

Further and Higher Education

Photo of Noel GrealishNoel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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566. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of her plans for the former Technological University of Dublin Conservatory of Music campus in Rathmines, Dublin 6; if space at the buildings will be made available to the adjacent Rathmines College of Further Education following the current temporary allocation of the buildings to a school (details supplied); the steps she will take to ensure that the current overcrowding at Rathmines College of Further Education is remedied by the long-term allocation of space at the former Technological University of Dublin buildings to it; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50726/21]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The former Technological University of Dublin Conservatory of Music campus in Rathmines, Dublin 6 is in the ownership of my Department.  Currently Harcourt Terrace Educate Together National School are using the property under an arrangement with my Department. This building was identified as a temporary location for the school for the next number of years pending the development of their permanent at school at Harcourt Terrace.

Earlier this year my Department reviewed the facilities in the Rathmines building to identify how best it could be used and whether it could support the co-location of a number of entities. Following this assessment, however, it was identified that the building had a number of severe limitations, in particular the limited number of toilets and the location of toilets within the building. Unfortunately, the layout of the building does not support the subdividing of the building for use by different users where there would be a need to separate those users, as would be the case if primary school-aged pupils were to share the building with adult students who would attend a college of further education. While there are a number of modular units located in a yard attached to the building, the primary school pupils would be using this yard as a play area. Again, it would not be appropriate to have primary-aged pupils and adult students sharing the one area.

It is planned to use the property as a regional solution for a post-primary school for the Dublin 2 and Dublin 4 school planning area.

Regarding the current overcrowding at Rathmines College of Further Education this is a matter for the City of Dublin Education Training Board (CDETB) in conjunction with SOLAS and my colleague the Minister for Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

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