Vol. 543 No. 2
739 Mr. Dukes asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason for the delay in carrying out an inspection of a school (details supplied) in County Kildare; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the works in question are urgent from a health and safety point of view; and if he will arrange to have an inspection expedited in order that refurbishment works are carried out without delay. [25909/01]
The Department has received an application for grant aid towards the cost of a building project at the school in question. The Deputy will appreciate that there has been a massive and unprecedented increase in the funds allocated by this Government to the building programme at all levels. The allocation this year is £370.5 million or 470.4 million. This is almost four times the allocation made by the previous Government in 1997. This level of funding has enabled my Department to undertake a record number of building projects and it is my intention to continue this rate of progress in overcoming the deficit arising from many past years and in meeting the needs of the present day. Decisions relating to the rate of progress to construction of individual projects, including the school referred to by the Deputy, will be taken as in previous years in the light of the allocations to be made for school building purposes in the forthcoming Estimates.
