Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 July 2008
446 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding an application by a school (details supplied) in County Galway for funding for completion of a school extension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25420/08]
View answerAs part of the expansion of the Small Schools Scheme 2007, a grant of €275,000 was sanctioned for the school in question to enable the Board of Management to extend and refurbish their school.
The scheme is not intended to leave schools with significant fund-raising needs. Rather the terms of the Scheme require the schools to tailor the scope of capital works commissioned to the available funding. The decision on whether to continue participating in the scheme or to drop out, if the scope of build is more than the funding envelope permits, is a matter for each school authority. A central tenet of the devolved scheme is that the school, granted discretion and funding, must equally accept responsibility for prioritisation, adherence to statutory regulations, as well as control of costs and ensuring value for money.
The school authorities submitted an appeal for significant additional funding which was considered in my Department. However, in line with the original intention of the Small Schools Scheme, it was considered that the school should be encouraged to complete the project within the funding envelope provided and, accordingly, the application for additional grant aid was not approved.
In the current economic climate and with considerable demands on the capital budget of my Department, it is not possible to approve such significant increases in the amounts grant aided to schools. It is the responsibility of the school authorities to manage the resources allocated to them to ensure maximum value for money and to control costs.
447 Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of an application by a school (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25441/08]
View answerThe school to which the Deputy refers has applied to my Department for large scale capital funding for an extension project.
The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered on an on-going basis in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in light of current competing demands on the capital budget of the Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the further progression of the project at this time.
