asked the Minister for Education when his Department will commence the building of Nobber vocational school, County Meath.

Responsibility for the construction of the new vocational school at Nobber, County Meath, is a matter for the County Meath Vocational Education Committee in the first instance.

The architectural planning for the new school is well advanced but at this stage of planning it is not possible to say when actual construction work will be commenced. The Deputy can be assured that, in so far as my Department are concerned, the necessary processing of the project will be carried out as expeditiously as possible.

Before the Minister took office the Department met the County Meath Vocational Educational Committee about the plans and revised drawings for this vocational school. This school was put on the long finger by the previous Fianna Fáil Minister for Education. I want this Minister to tell me today that this school will be commenced in 1982 and that the money will be provided.

I am sorry the Deputy has tried to introduce a partisan note into this matter. I am not conscious of any delay during our term of office as distinct from the term of office of my immediate predecessor. If the Deputy wants to talk about apparent delays I can tell him they occurred at a number of points. The actual process of planning the new school commenced in 1978. In July 1981 the Department issued a revised schedule of accommodation for the project and authorised the preparation of a sketch plan. There was a meeting with the building unit of the Department of Education on 4 March when certain design amendments and technical reports were requested. The Department are now awaiting a response from the committee in this matter. If the Deputy wants to imply there was a partisan element in the delay, he could easily say that was being done as late as 4 March.

The Minister should realise that it is the children attending this school who are suffering — at present there are 13 prefabs. I appeal to the Minister to give an assurance——

The Deputy may not make a speech. He may ask a short supplementary.

——that the money will be made available in 1982 for the commencement of this vocational school.

The Deputy has my assurance that all questions of educational provisions, including the provision of a school at Nobber, will be dealt with as expeditiously as possible and that there will be no attempt at delay, based on partisan or other motives.

I wish to have written answers to Questions Nos. 34 and 129.