Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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452. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for a status update on the safety assessment completed at school (details supplied) and a timeframe on the new building for the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34372/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The project to which the Deputy refers forms part of the Celbridge Campus Project which has been devolved for delivery to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA).

The schedule of accommodation for this project allows for 24 classrooms and 4 SEN.

The project is currently at Stage 2a (the developed design stage) of the architectural process. As part of this process a stage 2a report will be prepared and submitted by the project Design Team. Once this information is received, reviewed, and approved by my Department, the project will progress to Stage 2b. This stage allows for detailed design/planning, obtaining the necessary statutory permissions and the preparation of tender documents. The project will then progress to tender stage and onwards to construction is due course.

While at this early stage, it is not possible to provide a timeline for the completion of the project, the NDFA will continue to engage directly with the school authorities to keep them fully informed of progress.

The Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies. It does so by ensuring the availability of funding for urgent works to those schools that are in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation.

An emergency is deemed to be a situation which poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or the environment, which is sudden, unforeseen and requires immediate action, and in the case of a school, if not corrected would prevent the school or part thereof from opening. The EWS operates on the basis of the minimal scope of works required to remedy an emergency situation. The EWS usually provides an interim solution until such time as a comprehensive solution can be provided under the Summer Works Scheme (SWS). The purpose of the SWS is to enable individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works on a devolved basis and, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school.

In the case of the school in question it should be noted that there are currently no outstanding EWS applications. However, the EWS is open for applications year-round and it is open to the school to make an application for funding under the EWS for any issues the school considers would qualify for funding under the EWS.