Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

127. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide a full report on a school building (details supplied); the details of the reasons for the delay with construction; and if she will outline the plans for September 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5206/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Gaelscoil Laighean is currently located in interim accommodation in a building at Kill Lane & also a room is rented from Kill O’ the Grange Parish Centre which is located directly across the road.

It is intended that the school will move to interim accommodation on their permanent site at Mount Anville for September 2023.

In relation to the interim accommodation for Gaelscoil Laighean an application for planning permission was lodged for the Mount Anville Depot Site, on 21st June 2022 and the Final Grant of permission issued from Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council on 16th September 2022 with 18 conditions. My Department’s Design Team responded to the Council on these conditions on 5th October 2022 and have been liaising with the local authority to finalise and agree all pre-commencement conditions to allow the building contractor to commence work on site. The contractor has been appointed and the modular accommodation is ready to be installed on site.

Agreement in principle for the acquisition of the permanent site was reached with the Executive of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council in June 2021, subject to the approval of the Elected Members of the Council. The approval by the Elected Members to dispose of these lands to the Minister for Education was granted at a Council Meeting on 11th April 2022. This acquisition is subject to the successful grant of planning permission for the permanentschool facility.

With regard to the permanent school building project, my Department has commenced the tender process for the appointment of the Project Manager for the delivery programme which includes Gaelscoil Laighean.

The appointment of the project manager is a two-stage restricted process. The first stage of this process; “expression of interest” was published on e-tenders on 14 November and has recently been shortlisted and is in standstill period. The second stage; restricted tender call-off will commence shortly and it is anticipated that this stage will conclude by end Q1 2023. Following conclusion of the two-stage restricted tender process, it is expected that the successful project manager will be appointed in Q2 2023.

Once the Project Manager is appointed, they will commence the tender process for the appointment of the Design Team that will take the project forward through the stages of architectural planning to tender and construction. The school and its Patron Body will be kept fully informed as these steps are progressed.

Gaelscoil Laighean is part of a strong pipeline of school building projects for delivery under the Government’s National Development Plan. My Department has a strong track record of delivery with over 360 school building projects at construction during 2022 including over 50 new schools. My Department has an allocation of €4.4 billion to facilitate delivery during the period 2021 to 2025. This strong investment by Government recognises the importance of adding capacity and modernising facilities in our schools. The use of project manager supports, such as in the case of this school, will help to facilitate the delivery of projects as quickly as possible.

This is an important project on my Department's capital programme and I look forward to it being progressed and delivered as quickly as possible.