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Dail Éireann · 2022-03-10

Part of Other Questions

Schools Building Projects

1 contribution · 1 speaker · 408 words

Q83 FG Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to the Minister for Education

83. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Education the number of schools that are currently in temporary accommodation while awaiting permanent sites; the stage that each of those schools is at, that is, searching for a suitable site, a suitable site located, a suitable site located and acquired by her Department, the tender process under way or the build under way, by county in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13366/22]

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Summary of this debate

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Given the timeframes for the acquisition of suitable sites, design, statutory planning processes, tendering and construction, it is often necessary for newly-established schools to commence operation in such interim accommodation. The projects to deliver permanent accommodation for the remaining schools are at various stages of planning and construction.

In relation to the acquisition of permanent sites, the Deputy will appreciate that the site acquisition process is very complex and subject to completion of successful negotiation and conveyancing processes. While the site acquisition can necessarily take some time, I can assure the Deputy that the Department is working to progress all site acquisitions as quickly as possible.

Built by scoring every sentence in the debate on how distinctive its language is, then quoting the highest-scoring ones back word for word and in the order spoken. Nothing is paraphrased or invented — if a sentence appears here, it was said in the chamber. Drawn from 408 words across 1 contributions by 1 speakers.

Most used terms in this debate

How often each word appears across the whole debate, ranked by how distinctive it is to it rather than common to all parliamentary language.

acquisition 6
permanent 6
site 6
accommodation 6
schools 6
construction 5
school 5
tendering 2
projects 4
planning 4
newly-established 1
tabular 1

The full debate

All 1 contribution, start to finish, in the order they were made.

FF Norma Foley

I can assure the Deputy that it is the policy of my Department to ensure a high standard of permanent accommodation for all schools. However, in the context of a rapidly increasing school population over the past decade or more, it is sometimes necessary to put in place interim accommodation solutions to meet the needs of schools. Given the timeframes for the acquisition of suitable sites, design, statutory planning processes, tendering and construction, it is often necessary for newly-established schools to commence operation in such interim accommodation.

Since 2011, 117 new primary, post-primary and special schools have been established by the Department of Education. Of these, 51 are already operating in their permanent accommodation. The projects to deliver permanent accommodation for the remaining schools are at various stages of planning and construction. The Deputy has requested a breakdown of these by status and county in tabular form and I have arranged for my officials to provide the requested details directly to her office in due course.

In relation to the acquisition of permanent sites, the Deputy will appreciate that the site acquisition process is very complex and subject to completion of successful negotiation and conveyancing processes. Each acquisition is unique and dependent on multiple factors, many of which may be outside of the control of the Department of Education. The Deputy will also appreciate the importance of conducting a thorough appraisal of site options before proceeding with an acquisition in order to obtain best value for the Exchequer. While the site acquisition can necessarily take some time, I can assure the Deputy that the Department is working to progress all site acquisitions as quickly as possible. It is important to note that of the 117 new schools established since 2011, only six do not yet have their permanent site identification. Once the Department has certainty on the permanent site for a school the project for the new school building is progressed to the architectural planning process as quickly as possible.

Approximately 1,200 school building projects under the Department's large-scale and additional accommodation scheme are currently in progress across the various stages of planning, design, tender and construction, most of which are expected to be either under construction or completed in the period up to 2025. There are currently in excess of 250 school building projects at construction, with a continuous stream of other projects at or near the tendering stage. These are being progressed as quickly as possible.

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