The carryover of €50 million from 2004 to 2005 on school buildings was not due to any reduction or cutback in planned activity. The reason was that some payments on projects that were approved to go to tender and construction, did not incur payment in 2004 as originally envisaged.
A record level of new school projects was commissioned in 2004 and payments expected to fall due before the end of 2004 did not arise until early 2005. However, the decision by the Government to put its entire capital programme, including the education capital programme, on a multi-annual basis means that it is easier to manage and cope with that type of variation in projected spending.
The Deputy will appreciate that the 2004 school building programme was a multifaceted undertaking involving many hundreds of individual projects ranging from new school buildings, extensions, refurbishments and other projects under the summer works scheme, temporary accommodation and permanent accommodation initiatives, remediation programmes and the contingency fund. In addition, my Department funds the purchase of sites for new school building projects.
In broad terms, there are many reasons which can cause unexpected delays in the pace at which some projects advance. These include an appeal of planning permission by third parties to An Bord Pleanála, contractors withdrawing tenders and design teams being slower than anticipated in getting projects tendered.
However, through the carryover measure and the overall management of my capital budget and Department spending to the end of 2004, I was able to ensure that all funds remaining for 2004, together with the allocation for 2005, allowed me to maintain the momentum in the capital building and modernisation programme started by the record level of activity in 2004.