asked the Minister for Education if he is authorising the resumption of the programme for the provision of physical education halls in schools; if he will state the number and location of schools (i) which have applied for such halls and (ii) which he has sanctioned for such halls to date; the finance which he has available for this purpose from the 1980 budget; the average cost of the provision of such a hall; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Schools' Physical Education Halls.
87.
I have already authorised the resumption of the programme for the provision of physical education halls in second-level schools. The number of applications for such halls to date is 148. It would not be in accordance with normal practice to identify the schools which made applications.
I have sanctioned 13 halls at schools the names and locations of which I gave on 13 December 1979 in reply to Dáil Questions Nos. 6 and 7, columns 1733 to 1737 of the Official Report.
The expenditure to arise on physical education halls for secondary schools in 1980 will be met from the allocation for secondary schools building grants in subhead H2 of Vote 31. The total amount of the expenditure will not be known before the end of 1980.
The average cost per hall is of the order of £180,000.