AQW 24589/17-22

Mr Andrew Muir
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 19/10/2021
Answered On Date: 02/11/2021
Priority Written: Yes

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education what efforts are being made to expedite the replacement of mobile classroom accommodation for St Columbanus’ College, Bangor by the original timeframe of December 2021, in light of the impact upon young people of the temporary teaching arrangements currently in place at College Assembly Hall.

Answer:

Officials from my Estate Operations Team, the Education Authority (EA) and the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools met with the school on 14 October 2021 to discuss the replacement modular accommodation. The school are aware that it will not be possible to deliver the accommodation until early March 2022. Delivery has been delayed due to steel supply shortages affecting the construction industry and, whilst officials will continue to work closely with the Contractor to bring this date forward where possible, it is very unlikely that the accommodation will be delivered before March 2022.