Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 April 2013
30. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if changes to the school building programmme will be made based on exceptional circumstances whereby the accommodation needs of schools were not fully evident at the time of publication of the programmme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17448/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, it was anticipated in the announcement of the five year construction programme in March last year that adjustments might be made in relation to the scheduling of projects included in the programme on a year to year basis within the lifetime of the Plan. Decisions on these matters are made following consideration of a number of criteria, such as the overall annual funding available, the urgency and prioritising of competing projects to meet demographic requirements, multi-annual contractual commitments created by individual projects and the technical readiness of projects to proceed to tender and construction.
However there were also a number of school building projects which simply could not be included in the five year plan I announced in March last year. However, as the Deputy is aware, my Department has continued to progress projects outside the five year plan to the final planning stages in anticipation of further funding becoming available to my Department in future years. As 2013 progresses, projects scheduled to proceed to construction in the later years of the plan will be assessed in the context of the criteria that I have outlined above and can only be considered for advancement if there is the financial scope to do so.
