Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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118. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure that an application for accommodation by a school (details supplied) will be finalised and approved at an early date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62324/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has no current record of receiving an application for additional accommodation from the school in question. 

It is open to the school authority to make an application for additional accommodation through the 'Additional School Accommodation scheme (ASA)' which is available at www.education.ie.  I also wish to advise that since mid-2018 all schools approved for additional accommodation under my Department's Additional School Accommodation Scheme are also having necessary prefabs replaced as part of their additional accommodation project.

The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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119. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure that an application for accommodation by a school (details supplied) will be finalised and approved at an early date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62325/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department received an application for capital funding, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme from the school authority referred to by the Deputy.

The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.

Officials in my Department have had recent engagement with the school patron in respect of this application and formal confirmation of the decision on the application will issue to the patron shortly.