Vol. 520 No. 1
383 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Education and Science the current situation regarding a new school building (details supplied); the reason his Department is refusing to fund the fencing of the site, the wiring of the school for IT, the levelling off of the playing field and the financing of an underground heating system which in the long-term would be the most efficient. [15081/00]
Architectural planning for a new school building is proceeding in accordance with my Department's technical advice. The board of management will be kept informed of developments.
I indicated to the Deputy in a reply to a parliamentary question on 21 March 2000 that the new planning guidelines for primary schools, effective from January 2000, indicate, inter alia, that conduit ways for future computer networking should be provided in relevant classroom areas.
The Deputy will appreciate that the question of considering an application for grant aid in respect of fencing and the levelling of the site does not arise at this stage as my Department has not yet completed the purchase of the site for the new school. The question of the site acquisition is currently with the Office of Public Works which acts as agent for my Department in relation to such matters.
