Vol. 504 No. 5
156 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans, if any, he has to provide a physical education and assembly hall for Arklow community college, County Wicklow; the progress, if any, in sanctioning this project; and the timeframe for provision of this facility. [12304/99]
It is the policy of my Department to provide physical education halls as part of the schedule of accommodation for all new post-primary schools. A PE hall is also provided when a major extension to a school, which does not have such a facility is being built. In addition my Department has a programme for providing PE halls as stand-alone projects at post-primary schools which do not already have this facility and a number of such project have proceeded to construction in the current year.
The question of providing a PE hall at Arklow community college, County Wicklow can only be considered in the context of capital available for post-primary building purposes and priority has to be given to the provision of essential classroom accommodation.
As a result, it is not possible in the present circumstances to indicate when architectural planning of a PE hall at Arklow community college will commence. The question of providing grant aid for this project will not arise until architectural planning is completed.
