Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 March 2012
118 Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the board of management of a school (details supplied) in County Wexford were to secure a suitable site at no cost to his Department, if he would then fund the building of a new school on the site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17113/12]
View answerI can confirm that my Department is in receipt of an application for large scale capital funding for a building project for this school. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a band 2 rating. In view of the need to ensure that every child has access to a school place, the delivery of major school projects to meet future demographic demands nationally will be the main focus for capital investment in schools in the coming years. The five year programme announced on 12 March last is focused on meeting those demographic needs. In that context, it was not possible to advance all applications for capital funding concurrently. The school's proposal to progress this project is noted. However, in light of current competing demands on the Department's capital budget, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of a major project for the school at this time.
