Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 November 2004
78 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the fact that from 1997 to date, there have been hundreds of visits by the Health and Safety Authority to primary schools around the country; her views on health and safety in dilapidated primary schools; the proposals she has to resolve them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30498/04]
View answerIn accordance with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989, it is the responsibility of school management authorities to have a safety statement in place in their schools. Schools are obliged to identify possible hazards, assess the risks to health and safety and to put appropriate safeguards in place.
Provision is built into the school building programme to enable schools address urgent health and safety problems. Primary schools are given an annual allocation, currently amounting to €3,809 plus €12.70 per pupil, under the grant scheme for minor works which can be used entirely at the discretion of school management to address basic health and safety issues relating to school infrastructure.
In addition, the summer works scheme was introduced during 2004 which provided capital grants for improvement works at primary and post-primary schools. A total of 457 schools were approved for funding under this scheme in 2004. The 2005 summer works scheme has recently been published with a closing date of 5 November 2004 for receipt of completed applications. Applications received are currently being assessed.
My Department also sets aside a contingency sum each year to deal with emergency works in primary and post-primary schools, including health and safety works. Urgently required health and safety works relating to asbestos removal, radon mitigation or dust extraction may be grant-aided under the remediation programmes operated by the school building section of my Department.
