Liam Aylward
Ceist:409 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress, if any, on the provision of gym facilities for Loreto secondary school, County Kilkenny. [22428/98]
Written Answers. - School Accommodation.
It is the policy of my Department to provide physical education halls as part of the schedule of accommodation for all new post-primary schools. PE halls are also provided when a major extension to a school which does not have such a facility is being built. In addition, my Department has a programme for providing PE halls as stand-alone projects at post-primary schools which do not already have this facility and a number of such projects will proceed to construction in the current year.
The question of providing a physical education hall at Loreto secondary school, Kilkenny, can only be considered in the context of capital available for post-primary building purposes generally and priority has to be given to the provision of essential classroom accommodation. As a result it is not possible in present circumstances to provide grant aid for this project. However, the application will continue to be considered in light of available resources and competing priorities.