Brian O'Shea
Ceist:52 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Education and Science the action which he will take to address the unacceptable conditions of the list of 73 worst primary schools. [2787/02]
Written Answers. - School Accommodation.
The allocation for primary buildings in 2002 is €153.6 million, which is a record level of funding and demonstrates this Government's commitment to improving accommodation in primary schools. This is almost four times the previous Government's investment in 1997.
Because of the greatly increased level of activity in the primary buildings area since this Government came into office, there has been a substantial increase in the number of major and minor building projects in construction and this has given rise to a record level of building and refurbishment activity. My Department currently has over 450 major projects at primary level in architectural planning including many of those referred to by the INTO. Some 79 major projects are currently in construction at a value of €110 million. These projects will proceed to the preparation of tender documents and the invitation of tenders, as soon as it is possible to do so, under the expanded Government's building programme. However, many of the specific issues referred to by the INTO, that is, heating, replacement of windows and doors, water supply, pest control are appropriately addressed through the grant scheme for minor works. Under this scheme, schools receive an annual capital grant of €3,809 per school plus €12.70 per pupil at a cost in excess of €17.7 million per annum.
My Department cannot accept the argument being advanced that school accommodation which is not in accordance with the current Department of Education and Science design guidelines is necessarily substandard. These guidelines were drawn up and adopted in January 2000 for the use of architectural design teams where new schools or major extensions to existing schools are being planned. The Department is setting new and higher standards and targets as part of a best practice agenda for school design. However, this does not mean that schools which do not meet those standards are deficient. Clearly, it is not possible to wipe out in the lifetime of one Government the cumulative deficit of generations and also to deal with emerging needs at the same time. The Government from the outset has been committed to addressing that historical deficit in educational infrastructure and has set about rectifying the situation by allocating substantial funding in each of its budgets. The Taoiseach has very recently given a categorical assurance about our clear commitment to continuing with the work we have started and to build on the substantial progress that has already been made over the last few years in order to ensure that the needs of schools right across the country are met.