asked the Minister for Education if he will state in respect of each of the last 20 years (a) the total estimated expenditure on primary school buildings, the amount actually expended, and the number of schools involved, and (b) the total number of cases in which over £5,000 was expended and the total amount spent on such schools.
Written Answer. - School Buildings Expenditure.
I assume that the Deputy's question refers to State expenditure by the Commissioners of Public Works on the erection, enlargement and improvement of national schools.
As regards (a) of the Deputy's question, the attached statement furnished by the commissioners gives in columns (2) and (3) particulars of the estimated State expenditure on national schools and the amount actually expended in each of the last 20 financial years.
Information regarding the total number of schools involved in any particular year cannot be shown with any degree of accuracy in view of the fact that (1) payment in many cases for work on a particular school may be spread over a number of years and (2) there is a multiplicity of cases in which only small payments for minor improvement works are made. Column (4), however, shows the number of new schools completed in each year under review.
As regards (b) of the Deputy's question, columns (5) and (7) show, respectively, in regard to grants of over £5,000, the total number of new schools and of improvement schemes completed each year, with in columns (6) and (8) the total amount of grants expended in these cases. It will be understood that the figures in columns (6) and (8) relate to the cases included under columns (5) and (7) and do not necessarily represent actual expenditure in the year in question.
Year |
Estimated Grant Expenditure on New Schools and Improvement of existing Schools |
Actual Grant Expenditure |
Number of New Schools Completed |
Number of New Schools Completed for which Grant exceeded £5,000 |
Total Amount of Grant in respect of Schools in Col. (5) |
Number of Improvement Schemes Completed for which Grant exceeded £5,000 |
Total Amount of Grant in respect of Schools in Col. (7) |
(1) |
(2) |
(3) |
(4) |
(5) |
(6) |
(7) |
(8) |
£ |
£ |
£ |
£ |
||||
1936/37 |
200,000 |
132,122 |
21 |
4 |
35,767 |
— |
— |
1937/38 |
200,000 |
159,285 |
37 |
3 |
19,501 |
— |
— |
1938/39 |
200,000 |
197,372 |
40 |
4 |
49,462 |
— |
— |
1939/40 |
250,000 |
229,222 |
32 |
6 |
113,140 |
1 |
7,534 |
1940/41 |
175,000 |
221,248 |
41 |
7 |
74,974 |
3 |
28,767 |
1941/42 |
250,000 |
212,139 |
49 |
3 |
40,221 |
1 |
9,254 |
1942/43 |
250,000 |
241,090 |
29 |
5 |
69,157 |
3 |
28,972 |
1943/44 |
250,000 |
256,511 |
27 |
3 |
283,994 |
1 |
12,714 |
1944/45 |
250,000 |
227,684 |
28 |
4 |
165,302 |
— |
— |
1945/46 |
250,000 |
176,087 |
21 |
4 |
95,660 |
1 |
8,411 |
1946/47 |
250,000 |
173,856 |
24 |
3 |
73,191 |
1 |
7,909 |
1947/48 |
250,000 |
134,942 |
21 |
3 |
16,149 |
1 |
28,971 |
1948/49 |
250,000 |
308,208 |
44 |
4 |
21,632 |
— |
— |
1949/50 |
480,000 |
513,960 |
46 |
11 |
113,562 |
3 |
50,376 |
1950/51 |
700,000 |
530,313 |
47 |
22 |
360,981 |
4 |
38,082 |
1951/52 |
650,000 |
552,151 |
50 |
10 |
315,933 |
3 |
40,505 |
1952/53 |
600,000 |
684,356 |
31 |
15 |
185,784 |
3 |
30,726 |
1953/54 |
730,000 |
1,071,053 |
70 |
29 |
698,602 |
6 |
124,350 |
1954/55 |
1,350,000 |
1,050,750 |
53 |
30 |
719,688 |
7 |
129,750 |
1955/56 |
1,350,000 |
1,042,029 |
40 |
25 |
402,266 |
8 |
140,026 |
(approx.) |
The full amount of the grant for any new school or improvement scheme was not necessarily expended in the year in which the work was completed.