Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I am taking this matter in the unavoidable absence of the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin. I thank Deputy Barrett for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the House the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and also to outline the current position regarding the relocation of St. Brigid's boys national school.

Modernising facilities in our 3,300 primary and 731 post primary schools is not an easy task given the legacy of decades of under investment in this area as well as the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth. Nonetheless, the Government has shown a consistent determination to improve the condition of our school buildings and ensure that the appropriate facilities are in place to enable the implementation of a broad and balanced curriculum. The Government has dramatically increased investment in the school building programme to almost €600 million this year. Under the lifetime of the national development plan, almost €4.5 billion will be invested in schools. This is an unprecedented level of capital investment which reflects the commitment of the Government to its programme of sustained investment in primary and post-primary schools. It will underpin a particular emphasis on the delivery of additional school places in rapidly developing areas while continuing to develop the Government's commitment to delivering improvements in the quality of existing primary and post-primary accommodation throughout the country. It will also enable the purchase of sites to facilitate the smooth delivery of the school building programme, again with a focus on site requirements in rapidly developing areas.

St. Brigid's boys national school is currently a 16-teacher school with six permanent rooms and ten prefabs. The property management section of the Office of Public Works, which acts on behalf of the Department on site acquisitions generally, was requested to explore the possibility of acquiring a site for St. Brigid's. Unfortunately the advertisement seeking proposals on possible sites was unsuccessful. Following this, the Department requested Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to identify any possible site options in the area. Subsequently officials from the Department wrote to the patron of St. Brigid's regarding possible accommodation solutions. I understand the patron has confirmed that the options in question will be considered. The Department is now awaiting the outcome of the localised deliberations and the patron's views on the matter.

I thank the Deputy once again for affording me the opportunity to outline to the House the current position on the relocation of St. Brigid's boys national school, Foxrock. I will ensure his comments are brought to the attention of the Minister.

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