Mr. Hubert Loftus:

I thank the Deputy. Her questions span a couple of areas. I will ask Mr. Dolan to come in on the question of ventilation and air filtration. With regard to emergency works and summer works, there is no particular cap or limit on the project cost. If it is an emergency issue, it is an emergency issue. The real question is whether a problem is an emergency issue to be dealt with under the emergency works scheme or something to be done on a more planned basis as part of the multi-annual summer works scheme. There is no particular cap. It is the same with the summer works scheme. If a roof had to be replaced under this scheme, the cost of the roof is whatever the tendered cost is. No particular limit is put on that. It is the same for windows and so on. That is the way that is managed.

With regard to data projections, I suppose the Deputy is looking at the issue more from the perspective of the small rural school as opposed to the areas where our bigger demographic pressures are. As I said earlier, the planning and building unit's focus has very much been on additional capacity. I am talking about adding capacity and catering for need, particularly in respect of the bulge at primary level initially before going on to post-primary, catering for special needs and working through. I went to a small primary school in the west of Ireland. Smaller primary schools were not under the same pressure with regard to capacity. The issues there are more about modernisation and general facilities rather than capacity. It is also about the general direction of travel in demographics, which can also impact on those schools.

The direction of travel at primary level is a projected reduction of the order of 100,000 pupils over the next decade or so. The rural parts of the west of Ireland, including, perhaps, north Mayo, are probably areas that might potentially be more impacted than others in the context of declining birth rates generally. Ms Cusack may wish to add something further to that.