Dan Neville
Ceist:254 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Education and Science when a new primary school will be erected, as promised during the last election campaign, at Kilfinane, County Limerick. [17588/03]
Written Answers. - Schools Building Projects.
An application for a new school has been received from the management authorities of Kilfinane national school. The timing of when individual projects can progress to architectural planning will depend on the budgetary allocation for 2004 and subsequent years, the rate of progress of projects currently in architectural planning and the priority afforded to each project by reference to the published criteria for prioritising large-scale building projects.
Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:255 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the commitment made by his predecessor to make funding available for a college (details supplied) in Dublin 4 to proceed to stage five of the secondary schools building programme with a view to ensuring that the go-ahead for the neces sary funding will be received in order that construction work on the new building can proceed without delay; if his attention has been drawn to the dangerous situation that prevails in the teaching of science, having regard to the primitive and unsafe laboratory facilities and the fact that there are five laboratory facilities in the area that was originally designed for four; when this second level college will receive a commitment for positive funding from him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17589/03]
The 2003 capital programme has now been published and full details in relation to individual projects are available on my Department's website at www.education.ie. The new school for the school to which the Deputy refers is currently at stage 4-5 of architectural planning and is included in section 6 of the programme.
Given the level of financial commitments to be met from projects already in construction, I do not envisage that my Department will be in a position during this year to allow architectural planning for further large scale projects to progress beyond their current authorised stage. The timing of when the project at this school can proceed to construction is dependent on the financial allocation for 2004 and subsequent years. Individual school authorities are responsible, in the first instance, for ensuring the safety and welfare of students and others in their care.
In accordance with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989, it is the responsibility of school management authorities to have a safety statement in place in their schools.