COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF LUCAN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

MOTION NO. 14

MOTION: Councillor W. Lavelle

"That this Area Committee commends the Minister for Education and Skills for the progress to date in commencing developments planned under his Departments' five year school building programme. However, this Committee further expresses its serious concerns over the continuing omission from this programme; and from the more recently-announced pre-fab replacement programme, of four well-established schools in the Lucan area i.e. Archbishop Ryan JNS & SNS in Balgaddy and St. Thomas NS & Scoil Áine Naofa in Esker; each of which continue to rely to a significant scale on pre-fab accommodation. This Area Committee therefore calls on the Department of Education and Skills to, at a minimum, expedite the planning stage for these schools 'tender stage' as soon as possible; and to further conduct an audit of the cost-effectiveness and suitability of maintaining pre-fabs on site at and if, on foot of this audit, it is considered appropriate to replace the prefabs, to proceed to provide (through devolved grants if appropriate) the funding to develop extensions or additional shared standalone buildings to accommodate each school's additional requirements. Finally this Area Committee again requests that officials of the Department 'Planning & Building Unit' meet with members of this Committee to review school-planning policy in the Lucan area; and this this meeting take place before the elected members of this Council would be asked to consider any reserved function in respect to future school developments supported by the Department."

REPORT:

Letter from the Minister for Education and Skills

The attached letter dated 28th February 2013, from The Minister for Education and Skills concerning this matter was circulated to Members on 1st March 2013.

If this motion is approved a letter will issue to the Minister for Education and Skills and when a response is received the Committee will be notified accordingly.