Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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29. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on plans to deliver a permanent building for Dunboyne College of Further Education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25738/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for his question. Louth Meath ETB (LMETB) is currently being supported by SOLAS in developing its Preliminary Business Case (PBC) proposal for Dunboyne under the FET College of the Future Major Projects fund and have met as recently as this month on this.

The proposal put forward by LMETB relates to the development of a new fit for purpose facility on a green field site in Dunboyne, to replace the existing rented accommodation in Dunboyne. It is one of twelve projects that are currently being progressed under this fund.

LMETB is currently refining its business case proposal and once completed it will submit it to SOLAS for evaluation. The evaluation panel will be available to meet as soon as the updated Business Case is received. Business cases that meet the evaluation criteria will advance to the next stage of development: Pre-Tender – Project Design, Planning, and Procurement Strategy. The development of a robust PBC is fundamental to the requirements of the Infrastructure Guidelines.

In parallel to this work, LMETB is also progressing site options for the location of this new FET College. In this respect, officials from my department and SOLAS have been engaging with Local Authority and ETB officials to progress this matter. This remains ongoing.

My department and I remain committed to delivering these key projects for the sector which will deliver state of the art facilities to meet the needs of our learners and teaching staff in the Dunboyne environs and across the region.