Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 January 2016
141. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider the needs of schools, such as a school (details supplied) in Dublin 12 for a grant for minor works, for a caretaker or for both, given these schools are old and in need of greater repairs and maintenance than more modern schools. [2373/16]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the school in question has submitted an application for funding for toilet improvement works under the current Summer Works Scheme. Commensurate with the level of funding available for the Summer Works Scheme, applications including that from the school referred to by the Deputy will be assessed on a top down basis in accordance with the prioritisation criteria outlined in the governing Circular Letter for the Scheme. This Circular Letter (0055/2015), is available on my Department's website www.education.ie. It is my intention to publish a list of successful applicants at the end of February/early March 2016.
My Department has no application from the school in question in respect of any additional accommodation. The school received the Minor Works Grant for 2015/2016 which issued last November and this grant has been issued since 1997 to primary schools with the exception of the 2012/2013 school year. The rates of the grant which are unchanged since 2006 are a basic grant of €5,500 plus a per pupil rate of €18.50.
I can inform the Deputy that in 2015 a total of 80% of the capital outturn on the school sector was expended on the provision of permanent school places to accommodate the growing school population. The balance was expended on the Summer Works Scheme, Emergency Works, the Minor Works Grant, furniture and equipment provision and other smaller programmes. As the increase in the school population will continue for a number of years, expenditure on the provision of sufficient school places remains the significant feature in the allocation of the capital budget for the school sector.
