Vol. 574 No. 2
155 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the shocking conditions in St. Brendan's primary school, Blennerville, County Kerry, which was forced to close in October 2003 for six days as a result of rat infestation; the steps being taken to address the conditions in the school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26490/03]
I am aware of conditions at Blennerville national school. The position is that in 1999 the board of management applied to my Department for a new school. Following examination of the application it was agreed that accommodation should be provided for a six teacher school.
A subsequent technical inspection of the existing school and site was carried out and a recommendation was made that a new school on a greenfield site should be provided. The Office of Public Works, which acts on behalf of my Department in procurement of sites, was asked to investigate and report on suitable sites for the proposed new school. While a number of sites have been identified, investigations in this regard have yet to be completed.
The purchase of a site and advancement of the school's building project to architectural planning will depend on the budgetary provision for 2004 and subsequent years, the rate of progress of existing projects in architectural planning and the priority afforded to each project by reference to the published criteria for prioritising large-scale building projects.
Funding of €48,000 towards temporary accommodation was provided to St. Brendan's national school under the 2003 capital programme and in 2002 my Department grant aided the purchase of two portable structures which had been rented at the school.
