Update on Edmund Rice School building

Like many in the constituency I am very concerned at thelack of progress on school building for the Edmund Rice school.

I had a meeting with the Principal of Edmund Rice about 8weeks ago to discuss the current schedule as regards the permanent building forEdmund Rice. Subsequently, my office was in touch with the Department ofEducation.

The Department are working on the Framework ofContractors at the moment. This has to be done before the individual tenderingfor the school building can commence. The Department are now saying that theyare aiming to have the first phase accessible sometime in the 2021/22 academicyear. This suggests a departure from the Sept 2021 date.

I have been engaging with the Department of Education onthis issue ever since the school was first announced. At the beginning of thisyear, I felt we had a final clear path towards delivering the school buildingin 2021. That timeline has now been pushed back again. I know that Covid hasdelayed almost everything, but this is no comfort.

Myself and my office are in regular contact with thePrincipal of Edmund Rice and his team in the school. We will liaise closelywith them in relation to the new timeline outlined by the Department, and willtouch base with them after each engagement with the Department to ensure thatthe revised timeline is being met.