asked the Minister for Education if he is now in a position to state whether it is proposed to erect a new school at Doohoma or to enlarge the existing one, and when work is likely to begin.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Building of Schools.
The proposal to provide a new national school to accommodate all the pupils attending the existing Doohoma National School, which has been overcrowded for some years, was abandoned by the late Reverend Manager for the reason that he found it impossible to obtain in close proximity to the present school a suitable site for a new school.
A suggestion was made by the late Reverend Manager, in June, 1956, that instead of the building of a new school the existing school might be extended by the provision of another classroom and of additional cloakroom and sanitary accommodation, within the compass of the existing site and a small extension of the site offered by the late Reverend Manager. My Department awaits a report from the Commissioners of Public Works on this suggestion.
asked the Minister for Education if he will state in respect of each financial year since 1932-33 the amount of State money spent on the building of schools.
I regret that, as the records kept by the Commissioners of Public Works do not distinguish between expenditure on new national schools and on the enlargement and improvement of existing national schools, I am unable to give the Deputy the figures of expenditure on new schools only.
I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to circulate in the Official Report (a) a statement giving particulars of State grants expended on new national schools and on works to existing national schools in each financial year in the period covered by the Deputy's question, and (b) a statement showing the total expenditure on the building and equipment of Vocational schools and of extensions to Vocational schools in each financial year during the period concerned, together with an explanatory note on the method whereby the State contributes to such expenditure.
Following is the statement:—
FINANCIAL YEARS 1932/33 TO 1955/56
A. State expenditure on the erection of new National Schools and the enlargement and improvement of existing National Schools.
B. Total expenditure on the provision and equipment of Vocational Schools and of extensions to Vocational Schools (Vide Explanatory Note).
|
Financial Year |
Expenditure underA |
Expenditure underB |
|
£ |
£ |
|
|
1932/33 |
65,774 |
11,118 |
|
1933/34 |
100,834 |
56,931 |
|
1934/35 |
128,538 |
57,408 |
|
1935/36 |
126,967 |
115,691 |
|
1936/37 |
132,122 |
133,483 |
|
1937/38 |
159,285 |
95,448 |
|
1938/39 |
197,372 |
118,047 |
|
1939/40 |
229,222 |
135,286 |
|
1940/41 |
221,248 |
71,987 |
|
1941/42 |
212,139 |
41,338 |
|
1942/43 |
241,090 |
44,019 |
|
1943/44 |
256,511 |
50,805 |
|
1944/45 |
227,684 |
23,710 |
|
1945/46 |
176,087 |
16,928 |
|
1946/47 |
173,856 |
11,899 |
|
1947/48 |
134,942 |
33,395 |
|
1948/49 |
308,208 |
26,983 |
|
1949/50 |
513,960 |
91,035 |
|
1950/51 |
530,313 |
133,773 |
|
1951/52 |
552,151 |
164,668 |
|
1952/53 |
684,356 |
295,113 |
|
1953/54 |
1,071,053 |
258,862 |
|
1954/55 |
1,050,750 |
245,564 |
|
1955/56 |
1,042,029 |
328,295 |
B—EXPLANATORY NOTE.—Funds required for the provision and equipment of vocational schools are found in either of two ways:—
(a) Loans raised by the Vocational Education Committees themselves and repaid by them out of their ordinary income; of which income it is estimated that the State provides approximately 60 per cent.
(b) Grants by local rating authorities, the loans required for purposes of making the grants being raised and repaid by the rating authorities and one-half of the repayment charges being recouped to them by the Department.
Arising out of the Minister's uninformed reply, will he include in this tabular statement an index of the building costs for each year in respect of the years covered by the statement?
What does the Deputy mean by the words he has used?
You would not permit me to tell the Minister for Education what I mean by an index of building costs. Everybody knows the costs of building in 1955 were substantially higher than in the year 1937 and that a mere statement of expenditure in relation to these years does not convey an accurate picture of the actual amount of building carried out.
Where does this lead us to?
Arising out of the Minister's reply, would he say how much was spent on national schools between 1922 and 1932 when the Minister and his colleagues were in control? Is it not a fact that there was about ten times as much spent on the Governor General than on schools?
I am sure that an examination of that period would be most revealing and instructive.