Vol. 550 No. 4
70 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will ensure tendering and construction timeframes are in place as a matter of urgency for the approved extension at Pope John Paul II national school, Malahide, County Dublin in view of the enormous growth in house construction locally, the lack of accommodation for additional staff and pupils, and the health and safety risks caused by use of corridors for storage purposes. [9236/02]
The allocation for primary buildings in 2002 is €153.6 million, which is a record level of funding and demonstrates this Government's commitment to improving accommodation in primary schools. This is almost four times the previous Government's investment in 1997.
Due to the greatly increased level of activity in the primary buildings area since this Government came into office, there has been a substantial increase in the number of major building projects in construction and this has given rise to a record level of building and refurbishment activity.
The proposed building project for Pope John Paul II national school, Malahide, is part of the Government's programme and is currently in architectural planning. The project will continue to the invitation of tenders, as soon as possible, under the expanded building programme.
