Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 January 2017
108. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which the school building programme at primary and second level in County Kildare continues to proceed as planned, having particular regard to the urgent requirement for school places; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2202/17]
View answer112. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress to date in delivery of major school building projects as part of the Six Year Capital Plan 2016-21 throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2206/17]
View answer113. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress to date in delivery of major school building projects as part of the Six Year Capital Plan 2016-2021 throughout County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2207/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 108, 112 and 113 together.
On 1st January 2017, there were 67 major projects under construction nationwide. In addition, there are a further 35 school projects that are expected to proceed to construction in the course of the year.
This represents a total of 102 major projects either under construction or progressing to commence construction in 2017.
As the Deputy will appreciate, the success of the schools building programme is predicated on the need to ensure that at any given time, there are sufficient number of school projects available to proceed to construction. If this is not the case, then there is the risk that capital monies made available for the purpose of accommodating children at primary and post-primary level, cannot be spent and that the state cannot provide for school buildings at maximum capacity. Given that any number of issues can arise at any stage up to construction stage in the process of building schools, it is essential that other projects can be progressed if individual projects are delayed for whatever reason. This can also however have the contrary result that there may be more school projects available to proceed to construction than the available budgetary position will allow.
The Action Plan for Education sets out the Government ambitions for the Education system, including the commitment contained in the Programme for Government, towards the prioritisation of school educational infrastructure.
My Department will fully engage with the mid-term Capital Review to be conducted by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform over the coming months. In doing so, my Department will be stressing the increasing costs of providing permanent school accommodation and the opportunities which the school building programme presents for productive capital expenditure in this much needed area of the economy.
