Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 and 4 together.

Due to demographic increases in the general population, my Department is planning for a minimum increase in primary school enrolments of some 58,000 pupils over the next five years. This increase will require the building of about 2,300 classrooms nationwide during this time. These extra classrooms will be provided through a combination of brand new schools in developing areas and extensions to existing schools.

A total of 1,548 schools have applied to my Department for major capital projects under the school building and modernisation programme. The projects in question vary greatly in size and priority and include renovations to existing schools, extensions and applications for new schools. While many of these applications will require capital investment, not all are of a sufficiently high priority to warrant the expenditure of substantial capital.

As I have indicated in the House and elsewhere, I am currently in the process of reviewing my Department's school building and modernisation programme with my officials. I do not propose to make any further announcements on the school building programme until that review has been completed. However, it should be noted that the current school building programme is a major programme, involving an investment of almost €600 million in school buildings. This includes the completion of construction work during the course of 2008 on 67 large-scale building projects, the opening of 26 new school buildings in rapidly developing areas, and the progression of 374 devolved projects under the permanent accommodation and small schools schemes.

This level of activity under the school building programme builds on the significant achievements under the last national development plan when over 7,800 building projects were delivered to provide new and modernised educational infrastructure.

As I have outlined, the current schools building programme is delivering a record number of new schools and extensions. In response to growing demand for school accommodation in rapidly developing areas, a dedicated developing areas unit has been established within my Department's planning and building unit. This unit is focused on planning solutions for the accommodation needs identified in these areas. In addition, my Department has a programme of public private partnerships, PPPs, for the construction of new schools and I am currently examining the suitability of additional projects for inclusion in the PPP programme.

While the capital funding available to my Department has increased significantly over the years, I accept that there is also a very significant level of demand from schools and that it will not always be possible to respond to this demand as rapidly as I would wish. While there may be surplus capacity in the construction industry at present, my Department has to operate within the overall financial parameters set out in the national development plan. Nevertheless, the financial resources being made available for school building under the current national development plan and the prudent allocation of these resources will see continued improvements in the quantity and quality of the accommodation available in Irish schools.

See this speech in context