Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, who is unavoidably absent. I thank Deputy Tom Hayes for raising it because it provides me with the opportunity to outline the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and the current position in respect of the 2008 summer works scheme.

Modernising facilities in our 3,200 primary and 750 post-primary schools is not an easy task, particularly in light of the legacy of decades of underinvestment in this area and the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth. Nonetheless, the Government is determined to improve the condition of school buildings and to 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 from just over €90 million ten years ago to almost €600 million this year. During the lifetime of the National Development Plan 2007-2013, 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 continue its programme of sustained investment in primary and post-primary schools. The summer works scheme was introduced in 2004. Since its inception more than 3,000 projects costing in the region of €300 million have been completed. With so many small projects having been completed over the past few years, the concentration is on delivering as many large-scale projects as possible this year, as well as delivering improvements in the quality of existing primary and post-primary school accommodation throughout the country.

To maximise the delivery of large-scale projects — thus ensuring that sufficient pupil places are available for next September's intake of new pupils, particularly in rapidly developing areas — it was necessary to concentrate the maximum amount of funding available on these projects. On 1 February, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Mary Hanafin, announced the first phase of large-scale projects that will commence construction during 2008 and 2009. The Minister's announcement included details of the 18 large-scale building projects approved for construction and a further 30 primary school projects in rapidly developing areas. This is the first phase of projects that will commence construction during the course of this year and next year.

It is the Minister's intention to make a further announcement shortly to allow a further batch of schools to commence construction and to update progress on the delivery of new schools planned for September 2008 in developing areas.

In this light, there is not therefore a summer works scheme as part of the Department's building programme for this year. However, the Minister has announced that there will be a summer works scheme in 2009. I again thank the Deputy for affording me the opportunity to outline to the House the current position concerning the summer works scheme. I also thank him for his appreciation of the great work undertaken in recent years under that particular scheme. All Members of the House can agree on that point.

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