Written Answers. - School Accommodation.
Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:
18
Mr. Quinn
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
if his attention has been drawn to the reported threat by a number of schools to initiate legal action against his Department due to the poor conditions of school buildings; if his Department has been notified by any such school of an intention to take legal action; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[21515/03]
Pat Rabbitte
Ceist:
26
Mr. Rabbitte
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
if his attention has been drawn to the threat by the INTO to initiate legal action as a result of conditions in substandard school buildings; the steps being taken to address the concern of the INTO and avert any such industrial action; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[21516/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 26 together.
I am aware of media reports suggesting that legal action might be contemplated in relation to the condition of school buildings. I want to confirm again my absolute commitment to ensuring that funding is targeted at those schools which are most in need of investment. The reality is that projects which are the subject of media campaigns are not necessarily those in most need. The prioritisation system used by my Department aims to allocate funding to projects based on an assessment of any project's validity against publicised criteria rather than as a reaction to lobbying or publicity.
In January this year, I published the 2003 schools building programme. This programme clearly outlines and explains the prioritisation bands used in assessing projects. The publication of the programme, and explanation of the prioritisation bands, has been broadly welcomed by the partners in education.
I am on record as acknowledging that the significant levels of investment made in school buildings in recent years need to be maintained going forward if the goal of eliminating substandard accommodation is to be achieved. To that end in the context of the Estimates process I am seeking to put in place a multi-annual capital funding envelope for the next four to five years. I consider that the provision of such an envelope for the schools building programme will enable my Department to provide greater clarity for all education partners concerning the progress of projects within the programme.
The major investment of recent years in upgrading school accommodation has resulted in new and enhanced school accommodation throughout the country. In the five years, up to and including 2002, a total of €1,248 million has been spent by my Department on primary and post-primary school buildings. This is a very significant amount of investment. The Government remains committed to continuing the work that it has started, and to consolidating the substantial progress that has already been made, in order to ensure that the needs of schools throughout the country are met over time.
Willie Penrose
Ceist:
19
Mr. Penrose
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
the proposals he has to meet the commitment given in An Agreed Programme for Government, to ensure that every school attains set modern standards; the proposed set standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[21513/03]
The 2003 schools building programme was published on 22 January 2003 and amounted to €342.9 million – four times the amount allocated in 1997. The 2003 programme will deliver over 140 large-scale projects at primary and post-primary level. In addition, several hundred schools will benefit in some way from the capital programme. All primary schools benefit directly from the devolved grants scheme for minor works.
An innovative feature of this year's programme is the introduction of a devolved building initiative for small rural primary schools. Twenty school communities will benefit from this pilot initiative. The feedback from schools on this initiative is very positive and most of the 20 schools will have commenced construction works before the end of this year. I hope to build on this initiative in future years.
The cost of the 2003 building programme, published on my Department's website, provides details of the level of commitments to be met in 2003 and the estimated amount available for new projects. I am seeking a multi-annual capital funding envelope for the next four to five years in the context of this year's Estimates process. The provision of such an envelope for the schools building programme will enable my Department to provide greater clarity for all education partners and other interested parties concerning the progress of projects within the programme.
The Government remains committed to continuing the work that it has started and to consolidate the substantial progress that has already been made in order to ensure that the needs of schools throughout the country are met over time. The process of investment in educational infrastructure begun by the previous Government will be continued as outlined in the agreed programme for Government.
Planning guidelines made available to schools by my Department set out the detailed standards for modernisation that can be employed by design teams working on schools building projects. These are reviewed regularly in order to secure best value for money.
In order to assist longer term planning and to determine the precise and detailed needs of individual schools, my Department has undertaken, on a pilot basis, a comprehensive inventory of accommodation of 115 primary and post-primary schools in County Kildare. The information gained from the survey has been placed on a geographic information system, GIS, database. An evaluation of the pilot phase has been completed and a second phase will begin shortly.
