Cecilia Keaveney
Question:238 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding an extension for a school (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10673/04]
View answerTuesday, 6 April 2004
Questions (153, 154)
Seán Crowe
Question:256 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the appalling conditions (details supplied) that staff and pupils of a school (details supplied) in County Donegal have had to endure over the past number of years; and the action he proposes to take to resolve this disgraceful situation. [10898/04]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 238 and 256 together. A large-scale building project for the school to which the Deputy referred is listed in section 9 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. This project has been assigned a band 3 rating and is at early stages of architectural planning. When publishing the 2004 school building programme, I outlined that my strategy will be grounded in capital investment based on multiannual allocations. My officials are reviewing all projects which were not authorised to proceed to construction as part of the 2004 school building programme, with a view to including them as part of a multiannual school building programme from 2005 and I expect to be in a position to make further announcements on this matter in the course of the year.
While the school's application under the summer works scheme for 2004 was unsuccessful it is open to the school's management authority to apply for the 2005 summer works scheme when the scheme is announced later this year. All applications received for the 2004 summer works scheme were assessed and categorised by reference to the criteria detailed in appendix B of the circular letter governing the scheme: Prim 34-03. The available funding was then distributed on a top-down basis in accordance with the categorisation hierarchy. The purpose of this approach is to ensure precise targeting of funding. The school authority should use the devolved grant which my Department pays annually to deal with any urgent health and safety works.