164. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the up-to-date position on advancing to construction for a new school building (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73768/26]

A joint major building project for Le Chéile Secondary School and Gaelscoil an Chaisleáin Ballincollig is currently being delivered as part of the Departments Adapt 4 programme - Programme Innovate.

Programme Innovate will be delivered by Integrated Project Teams consisting of highly skilled and experienced design professionals, architects, engineers, project managers, quantity surveyors and various other consultants to deliver the projects.

The brief for this project is for the development of a new 1,000 pupil post primary school with accommodation including 6 classrooms for pupils with special educational needs, and a new 8 classroom primary school with accommodation including 2 classrooms for pupils with special educational needs, as a shared educational campus in Ballincollig.

This major building project for the schools is currently at Stage 2(a) of Architectural Planning - Developed Design - which is a crucial element of the architectural planning process as it is at this stage that the design is developed to a stage where it can be fully cost planned and prepared to lodge for statutory approvals. Upon receipt and review of the Stage 2(a) submission, the Stage 2(a) stakeholder meeting can be arranged.

The Integrated Project Team (IPT) have been requested to masterplan the campus site and to secure planning permission to include for the future expansion of the Gaelscoil to a 16-classroom primary school and accommodation with 4 classrooms for pupils with special educational needs, to be provided as phase 2 delivery.  My department will consider the phasing strategy and overall schedule of accommodation once the IPT have secured planning permission.

All school building projects, as they progress through the pipeline, must undergo the necessary due diligence outlined in the Infrastructure Guidelines and Capital Works Management Framework.  The timing of a project moving from one stage to the next requires careful planning and takes account of factors such as compliance with all scope, design and cost requirements; timing of affordability; and the prioritisation necessary for the school building programme to remain within agreed annual funding allocations.

It is not possible to provide a timeframe for construction currently. The school stakeholders will be updated by the Programme Manager and the Department during the stages of architectural planning.