Schools Building Projects Expenditure

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 March 2014

Wednesday, 12 March 2014

Questions (65)

John Halligan

Question:

65. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 245 of 18 February 2014, if he will clarify the following discrepancies, €26 million difference between the figure noted in his reply to my question and the budget allocation noted on page 2 of the Capital Investment Programme 2012-2016; 50 school projects going into construction announced in press release December 2012 announcing the 2013 capital investment, 56 school projects scheduled for 2012 announced in December, 2011 and this year 70 school building projects announced in December 2013; the exact number of school building projects planned under the CIP 2012-2016; the number of these projects that have been shelved for various reasons; what new projects have been added to the list to replace them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12282/14]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The gross capital allocation indicated for the Education sector in 2013 under the Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2012-2016 Programme published in November 2011 amounts to €415m. This was increased in 2013 by a carryover from the 2012 capital allocation and by savings that emerged on the Department's current allocation. The figure of €436 million provided in my answer to PQ No. 245 of 18th February 2014 is the correct figure for the outturn on my Department's net capital expenditure for 2013.

The current status in relation to each of the individual projects on the annual programme announcements for 2012, 2013 and 2014 to which the Deputy refers are available on my Department's website and are updated on a monthly basis. 275 major school projects were included in the 5 year programme announced in March 2012. One school has been informed that its project cannot proceed on the existing site. When the five year programme was announced I made it clear that there would be a small number of additional projects, required for demographic reasons, which would need to proceed to construction in the lifetime of the plan. Five additional projects have been added since the programme was initially announced. In addition, in June 2013, I announced 28 additional major projects to proceed to construction under the Investment in Infrastructure & Jobs programme.