Departmental Schemes

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 May 2010

Tuesday, 18 May 2010

Ceisteanna (483, 484)

Ruairí Quinn

Ceist:

518 Deputy Ruairí Quinn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the reason 19 fee-paying schools will receive €1 million from her Department’s summer works scheme; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that these schools have substantial private income which is paid for better facilities; if she will restore a level of equity and fairness into the education system by restricting fee-paying schools access to the summer works scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20074/10]

Freagraí scríofa

Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Mary Coughlan)

All schools with permanent recognition from my Department and in non-rented accommodation were eligible to apply to my Department for funding under the Summer Works Scheme for 2010. In my announcement of 19 April last, 1490 successful applicants under the scheme were announced. This included 19 fee-charging schools. This represents less than 1.3% of the total number of successful applicants. The Circular governing the operation of the scheme sets out in order of priority the nature of the works which are eligible for grant assistance under the scheme in order to ensure that works of most urgent need receive priority in the awarding of funding under the scheme.

Ruairí Quinn

Ceist:

519 Deputy Ruairí Quinn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools that have applied for funding for water conservation measures under her Department’s summer works scheme; the number of these schools that will receive funding for water conservation measures; the number that were rejected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20075/10]

Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Mary Coughlan)

As the Deputy will be aware, schools were invited to apply for funding for water conservation measures as part of the Summer Works Scheme for 2010. Some 2,300 applications, in total, were received under the Scheme. I announced details of the 1,490 successful applicants under the mainstream Summer Works Scheme on 19 April last. It is intended that the applications for water conservation measures aspect of the Scheme will be processed separately and I hope to announce details of the successful applicants for those measures later this year.