Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 February 2010
593 Deputy Michael Noonan asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attendance has been drawn to the inadequate facilities at a secondary school (details supplied) in County Limerick; if his further attention has been drawn to the need to replace prefabs with permanent classrooms and to provide canteen facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7749/10]
Amharc ar fhreagra615 Deputy Jan O’Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science when the building programme of a school (details supplied) in Limerick will be advanced; if he will re-examine the urgency of this application in view of the fact that it has no canteen facilities and nine prefabs that are over 20 years old; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7996/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take questions Nos. 615 and 593 together. I can confirm that my Department has received an application for major capital funding from the school to which the Deputy refers. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a band rating of 2. 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 my 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 my Department's website.
The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in light of current competing demands on the capital budget of the Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of the project at this time.
In the meantime, it is open to the school authority to apply for temporary accommodation, if the need arises, pending the delivery of its large scale building project.
