I recently announced a new initiative in the State funding for school buildings whereby the State will offer to meet the entire cost of new sites, for both primary and post-primary schools. In the case of a primary school which requires a new building and wishes to avail of the new initiative, the State will purchase the site and the level of local contribution will be reduced to 5 per cent, or capped at £50,000, whichever is the lesser amount. In the case of a special school or a school designated as serving an area of disadvantage, the cap is reduced to £10,000.
This change will benefit local communities and parishes who experience difficulty in raising the finance necessary towards site purchase and the payment of a local contribution.