Vol. 520 No. 1
401 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science the capital programmes contained in the national development plan and funded by his Department which have commenced in the south Kildare constituency during 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15271/00]
The National Development Plan, 2000-06 includes provision of £1.6 billion for capital expenditure in the education sector. This will cover investment in primary and post-primary schools, further education centres and third level institutions, representing the largest ever multi-annual commitment to investment in the improvement of our education infrastructure. In addition, there is an overall provision of £550 million for a research, technological development and innovation fund in the education sector, which includes funding to promote the development of world-class research infrastructure and equipment in third level institutions, thereby providing the foundation upon which research excellence can be developed.
The information requested by the Deputy with regard to capital projects is not available. The allocation of funding to capital projects by my Department depends on factors such as the rate of progress of architectural design, site acquisition, the granting of planning permission and the outcome of the tender process. Delays can arise at any stage of the process, consequently, it is not possible to say when projects being processed at present will proceed to construction. If the Deputy requires information on individual building projects, I will be happy to provide the details.
