Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

Having been recently appointed to his post, is the Minister surprised that the Department has been totally taken by surprise by demographic figures that were boasted about by his Government colleagues when speaking of the growth in the labour force? Was there no joined-up thinking between the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Central Statistics Office, CSO, and the Minister's Department, which, ironically, is called the Department of Education and Science? Surely it was recognised that an increase in the labour force would mean an increase in the children of those extra workers knocking on school doors. What effective action has been taken to deal with this massive managerial deficit in the Department?

Is the Minister confirming for the House the statement made during the debate on the Estimates? It was said that just under €600 million would be invested in the schools building programme. This would mean the completion of work on the 67 large projects, the opening of 26 schools, although the Minister's predecessor announced 27, and the completion of work on over 150 devolved projects. Are these projects to go ahead in this calendar year or has the Minister frozen financial commitments contained in the figures he quoted and further decisions on the release of moneys as a result of the review that will not be completed until September?

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