Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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330. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16475/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The project for the school referred to by the Deputy currently has planning permission and will, along with a number of other projects with planning permission, be brought to the level of employer-led design with a Design Team assigned to do so under the supervision of my Department’s Project Manager.

The process of appointing the Design Team from my Department’s Frameworks of Consultants was completed in September 2023 and the project is now progressing through design development stages.

My Department will continue to liaise with the school and patron body in relation to interim accommodation requirements and provide any updates in relation to progress on the school building project.

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) - Detailed Design, where the design team secure all statutory approvals and prepare the suite of tender documents.

The Stage 2(b) Submission has been received in my Department and is currently under review. In order to assist with the review, the Design Team were requested to provide some clarifications and they have been received in my Department.

On completion of that review, comments will issue from my Department for the Design Teams attention.

The Design Team will then be requested to confirm to my Department in writing that their tender documents are in order and comply with all current Building and Procurement regulatory guidelines, and Department Technical Guidance documents, before the project is eligible to progress to the next stage of architectural planning.

The next stage, subject to relevant Stage 2(b) approvals, will be Stage 3, tender stage. Projects are subject to relevant due diligence by my Department at each stage in the process, within the context of overall programme and budgetary parameters.

In late March, following a review of National Development Plan allocations, the Government approved medium term capital allocations for the Department of Education for the period to 2026. The Department’s Planning and Building Unit is now reviewing its programme plans in the context of those recently confirmed allocations.

Department officials will keep the school authorities updated on progress and next steps.

Department officials will also be responding to the correspondence received from the Parents Council