As outlined in the Five Year Plan, the delivery of major school projects required to meet demographic demand will be the main focus for capital investment in the coming years. Due to the financial constraints imposed by the need to prioritise available funding to meet future demographic demands, it has not been possible to advance all applications for capital funding concurrently. The Deputy will appreciate that the primary aim at the core of the Five Year Plan is to ensure that every child will have access to a physical school place.
This announcement represents major advances in how the school building programme is publicised, and will provide certainty to patrons and school communities concerning the major school building projects that my Department is in a position to progress. The band rating for the school, referred to by the Deputy, is in line with the Amended Criteria for Prioritising Large Scale Projects that was devised following consultation with the Education Partners and is available on the Department's website, www.education.ie. My Department does not propose to adjust this band rating.
