Vol. 571 No. 3
141 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Science the total number of schools in Dublin 24 which have been on his Department's lists for major refurbishment or building works in each of the past five years; the names of same; the number of projects still outstanding; and the planned date for commencing each of the major projects. [21687/03]
My Department's records in relation to school building projects are not kept in the format requested by the Deputy. I would of course be happy to provide information for specific individual schools. In relation to the general position on projects throughout the country, the Deputy is aware of the 2003 school building programme that was published earlier this year and which provides information for all the partners in education.
The major investment of recent years in upgrading school accommodation has resulted in new and enhanced school accommodation throughout the country. In the five years, up to and including 2002, a total of €1,248 million has been spent by my Department on primary and post-primary school buildings. This is a very significant amount of investment. The Government remains committed to continuing the work that it has started, and to consolidating the substantial progress that has already been made, in order to ensure that the needs of schools throughout the country are met over time.
