Provision of a new secondary school for the Swords area

​QUESTION NO:  437

DÁIL QUESTION addressed to the Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Richard Bruton)
by Deputy Darragh O'Brien
for WRITTEN ANSWER on 20/06/2017  

 
 To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the provision of a new secondary school for the Swords area of County Dublin as announced in November 2015; if he has identified locations for these proposed schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
  
REPLY.


The Patron of the new Swords post-primary school, Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB) has decided for operational reasons that it is in the best interests of the school to defer its opening to September 2018. 

The Patron has confirmed to the Department that Swords Community College will open in September 2018, with a high number of applications having already been received. 

The acquisition of school sites in densely populated areas such as Dublin/Swords presents an ongoing challenge for my Department as the availability of suitable property is often extremely limited, due to the area of accommodation and ancillary facilities required.  My Department will continue to work in close co-operation with Fingal County Council and the site acquisition process is underway in respect of the permanent accommodation for this school.