Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

When I took over as Taoiseach ten projects per year were dealt with under the schools building programme, on average, and that was the contribution to capital projects. We now spend €4.5 billion under the national development plan investing in school buildings, refurbishing existing schools and providing new ones in developing areas. We have done this every year for the past seven or eight years and, between roofs, windows and so on, 1,500 projects are being undertaken.

I do not know why the school mentioned did not partake in any of the summer works projects or get a position on the capital programme because I do not know every one of the 4,500 school projects. I do know the investment we are putting in and I know the range of projects, which includes the refurbishment of buildings and the construction of new buildings. Thousands of minor works have been completed in schools in recent years, as have many large projects. Construction work this year, when completed, is expected to provide permanent accommodation for 20,000 pupils. When I took over as Taoiseach that figure stood at a few hundred pupils per year.

Improved forward planning has been put in place and there is greater co-operation between the Department of Education and Science and local authorities, which can be seen in the publication of area development plans. In the primary sector we have increased funding to disadvantaged areas significantly and have invested €800 million and thousands of teaching posts in tackling disadvantage at all levels. This includes pre-school education, school meals, books, smaller classes, home-school links, special literacy and numeracy programmes, homework clubs and third level access programmes, practically none of which existed a decade ago. My colleagues and I are proud of this.

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