New school for Silvermines - Máire Hoctor TD

Silvermines is to have a new national school to be built on the existing national school site, according to local Fianna Fáil TD, Máire Hoctor.

Following close work by Deputy Hoctor with both the Board of Management and the Department of Education, the Board have received approval from the Minister to proceed to tender and construction.

This is seen as part of the Government’s commitment to supply a new school to the village and to meet the demands of higher enrolment figures according to Tipperary North Fianna Fáil T.D. Máire Hoctor.

The Silvermines has been waiting for a new school for some time as it had not been possible for the works to proceed with the devolved grant offered to the school a number of years ago.

“The nature of the site required substantially more funds to complete the construction and I am pleased that approval has been given now for tenders for the building project to be accepted” said Deputy Hoctor.

“I have lobbied strongly for Silvermines N.S. over the past number of years as a local public representative and it is my sincere hope that we can get construction work under way on the new school in 2010”.

The Department of Education & Science has been working closely with the school authorities over the past 2 years on a number of revised proposals for the school and on plans for the preparation of a site of the school, said Deputy Hoctor.

“The present Silvermines N.S. building is on a complex site” explained Deputy Hoctor “there were a number of complications arising from the minerals in the ground in the past which have been addresses' she said.

Deputy Hoctor also stated that the Silvermines N.S. building project has been subject to a Department of Education & Science value for money review, in which all schools going forward to tender in the last 18 months had been asked to participate.

“I am delighted that the school has reached this point in the building plan” said the Deputy, “I will be urging the Department to make a decision in a timely manner once all the tenders have been submitted”.