Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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99. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update regarding the provision of a general-purpose room at a school (details supplied); the capital applications that have been applied for or approved at the school in recent years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18434/22]

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.

The school previously received funding from my department under the Emergency Works Scheme and Summer Works Scheme in respect of toilet facilities.

The purpose of my Department’s Additional School Accommodation (or ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.

At primary level, this situation generally arises to cater for a school’s accommodation requirements where an additional teaching post has been sanctioned by Teacher Allocation Section, or the requirement for a new class for pupils with special education needs has been identified by the NCSE, and all available alternative accommodation within the school is already being used for classroom purposes.

The main focus of resources over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics particularly at post-primary level and for special education needs provision. The Deputy will appreciate that the immediate priority of my Department is providing new and replacement school places each year, to ensure that every child has a school place.

However, the latter stage of the National Development Plan will see an increasing focus on the upgrade and refurbishment of the existing school stock and under which the ancillary accommodation needs of primary schools will also be considered. My Department has contacted the school in question in this context.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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100. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update regarding the significant delay in providing an extension for a school (details supplied); the actions that are being taken to address this delay particularly with regard to planning permission; when work on the extension will commence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18435/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2(b) which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents.

A Brief Change request had been approved in principle by my Department and a Brief Change report was submitted by the school and its Design Team, which is currently with the Department for review and approval.

Due to proposals from the Local Authority to alter the road and access layouts at the school site, and the recent increase in Brief to 16 classrooms, a new Planning Application will be required.

When planning permission has been secured and work on necessary revisions to the Stage 2(b) documentation has been completed a revised Stage 2(b) report will be submitted to my Department for review.

Upon receipt and review of this revised report my Department will be in contact with the school regarding the further progression of the project.