Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

I thank both Deputies for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the House the position with regard to the proposed building project for Ennis national school in Ennis, County Clare.

All applications for capital funding are assessed in the planning and building unit of the Department. The assessment process determines the extent and type of need presenting, based on the demographics of an area, proposed housing developments, condition of buildings, site capacity, etc., leading ultimately to an appropriate accommodation solution. As part of this process, a project is assigned a band rating under published prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects. These criteria were devised following consultation with the education partners.

The plan for Ennis national school is to provide it with a new 32 classroom building on a greenfield site. The Department is providing the building and the diocese is providing the site. The current enrolment is 670 pupils and the staffing comprises a principal, a deputy administrative principal, 25 mainstream assistants, four learning support teachers, three resource teachers, four temporary language support teachers, one temporary resource teacher for Travellers, and one special class teacher.

The proposed building project has been assigned a band one rating because of the extent of the deficit of accommodation required to meet the broader needs of the Ennis area, and the next step for this project is the appointment of a design team. In recent times, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy O'Keeffe, has stated both publicly and to the House that he is not in a position to give the go ahead for any more school building projects, including that for Ennis national school, at the present time.

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