Written answers
Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Department of Education and Skills
Schools Building Projects
Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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630. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to report on the plan and timeline for moving a school (details supplied) to its new location in Stillorgan. [1702/25]
Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The school referred to by the Deputy is part of a campus project with another special school and is included in my Department’s Construction Programme that is delivered under the National Development Plan (NDP) as part of Project Ireland 2040.
The original project brief was to provide 2 ten classroom special schools with General Purpose hall and all associated ancillary accommodation on the same site. The brief for Setanta Special School was subsequently increased to provide an additional 2 classrooms.
Works commenced on site in June 2023 with an estimated completion timeframe of 18 months. However, due to a number of unforeseen site issues, and additional delays in relation to the relocation of ESB wires, which were outside the control of my Department, the campus project was delayed on site. Overall completion for the campus project for the two schools is estimated at Quarter 3 of 2025.
During 2024, discussions were held with the design team in relation to the possible early handover of Setanta Special School in December 2024 for occupation in January 2025, taking into consideration careful analysis from a technical, safety and education perspective given that it would relate to a special school operating beside a live construction site on the same campus. Agreement was reached with all parties, however, due to issues surrounding utilities and utility connections, commissioning of the building will take an additional number of weeks. Handover and occupation is still anticipated for Quarter 1.
The Design Team and my Department’s Planning and Building Unit are liaising closely on this matter and will continue to keep the school communities updated on progress and timelines. The School is a key priority for my Department, and we will continue to work hard to ensure that any delays are minimised to the greatest extent possible.
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