Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 23 June 2010
177 Deputy Paul Gogarty asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the factors that led to the ongoing delay in providing a building capable of accommodating 1,000 pupils for a school (details supplied) in County Dublin; the date on which the building will actually be constructed and open to cater for the demographic demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27058/10]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that the school to which he refers has made an application to my Department for large scale capital funding. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a Band 1 rating. Information in respect of the current school building programme along with all assessed applications for major capital works, including the project referred to by the Deputy, is now available on my Department's website at www.education.ie.
The priority attaching to individual projects is determined by published prioritisation criteria, which were formulated following consultation with the Education Partners. There are four band ratings under these criteria, each of which describes the extent of accommodation required and the urgency attaching to it. Band 1 is the highest priority rating and Band 4 is the lowest. Documents explaining the band rating system are also available on my Department's website.
The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered 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 progression of the project at this time. In order to meet the immediate accommodation needs, the school authority was sanctioned an all-in grant in December 2009 to build 4 mainstream classrooms. In addition, the school authority received approval earlier this month for funding to alter existing rooms to form an Art /Technical Graphics Room.
