Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 December 2009
344 Deputy Pádraic McCormack asked the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding the promised new school for a school (details supplied) in County Galway in view of the fact that the number of pupils from this school has increased from 140 in 2000 to 283 in 2009 and a new school was promised two years ago when approval was sanctioned for design stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44129/09]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school to which the Deputy refers has applied to my Department for capital funding for a large scale extension project.
The application has been assessed in accordance with published prioritisation criteria for large scale projects and assigned a band 2.1 rating.
Information in respect of the current school building programme along with all assessed applications for major capital works, including the project referred to by the Deputy, are now available on the Department's website at www.education.ie.
The priority attaching to individual projects is determined by published prioritisation criteria, which were formulated following consultation with the Education Partners. There are four band ratings under these criteria, each of which describes the extent of accommodation required and the urgency attaching to it. Band 1 is the highest priority rating and Band 4 is the lowest. Documents explaining the band rating system are also available on the Department's website.
The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction will be considered in the context of the school building and modernisation programme. However, in view of the level of demand on the Department's capital budget, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression the project at this time.
The Deputy will be aware that the Department grant-aids the provision of temporary accommodation in respect of schools requiring interim accommodation to cater for additional staffing allocations while awaiting the provision of permanent accommodation.
It is open to the school authority to apply to the Department for temporary accommodation. The application form RTA is available on the Department's website, www.education.ie
