asked the Minister for Finance the plans by which he hopes to expedite the school building programme which were referred to by the Minister for Education on 21st March 1963.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - School Building Programme.
4.
As the Minister for Education stated, the main hold-up on schools built directly by the Office of Public Works was at the professional level. There has been for years past an acute shortage of architectural draughtsmen. With the co-operation of the Dublin vocational education authorities a scheme was initiated in 1962 for the training of draughtsman staff. The section of the architects branch dealing with school planning has been reorganised and now a minimum output in planning of 100 new schools and 50 major improvement schemes each year is being achieved.
Does this mean any appreciable change in the position regarding the backlog of between 700 and 900 schools? Will the present expectation in respect of the time it will take to provide these schools be educible to any extent?
Yes; I should imagine there will be a substantial reduction in the anticipated delay.