Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 February 2010
246 Deputy Fergus O’Dowd asked the Minister for Education and Science if a meeting will be arranged with his Department officials to meet with the board of management of a school (details supplied) in County Meath to address issues in the school. [7431/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraI met with the school to which the Deputy refers last year and the school authority is aware that it will be provided with a new school building. In this regard, the proposed project has a Band 1 rating, which is the highest possible priority rating under my Department's published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and the project will proceed as soon as the funding is available.
With regard to issues with the existing building, under legislation, Boards of Management are responsible for health, safety and welfare in their schools. The Department assists primary schools in this by annually devolving funding to address Health and Safety issues. Boards of Management can decide themselves what to use this funding for. Schools can also apply for Summer Works Scheme funding each year to address Health and Safety issues. Under this Scheme, schools identify and prioritise their most urgent needs. The school in question applied for car parking facilities under the 2010 SWS. In all of the circumstances, it is not my intention to arrange for a further meeting with the school at this time.
