Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Shatter for raising this matter. I am answering on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science. This is an opportunity for me to outline to the Dáil the Department's capital programme of works for 2008 and the current position with regard to Holy Trinity national school, Glencairn, Leopardstown, Dublin 18.

All applications for capital funding are assessed in the modernisation and policy 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 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.

Projects are selected for inclusion in the school building and modernisation programme on the basis of priority of need. This is reflected in the band rating assigned to a project. A proposed building project moves through the system commensurate with the band rating assigned to it. The project for Holy Trinity national school has been assigned a priority rating in band one.

As the Deputy will probably be aware, almost €600 million in public funding is being provided for school buildings this year. This will enable the completion of work on 67 large-scale primary schools projects, which will deliver 7,000 additional permanent school places in new schools and 2,300 additional permanent school places in existing schools. Construction work on 150 devolved projects under the permanent accommodation scheme will provide 8,000 additional places in existing primary schools. In the post-primary sector, construction work will be completed on 19 large-scale projects, which will provide 2,400 permanent school places in four new schools and additional accommodation and refurbishment works in 15 schools that will benefit more than 7,000 pupils. Sites will be purchased to facilitate the smooth delivery of the school building programme, particularly in rapidly developing areas, and new projects will be progressed through architectural planning and design stages.

On 29 September, the Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, announced a further tranche of projects to progress through the school building programme, including five primary and two post-primary projects to prepare to go to site before the end of 2008, 12 primary and three post-primary projects to proceed to tender with a view to going on site in the first half of 2009, and three primary schools to progress up to and including application for planning permission and preparation of tender documents with a view to the earliest possible date to site. In 2008, construction is also due to start on the first bundle of PPP schools, while further ones will be offered to the market next year with a view to building work commencing in later years.

This is a significant programme of work by any standards and, while there will continue to be a focus during the year on providing extra places in developing areas, the Department will also be delivering improvements in the quality of existing primary and post-primary school accommodation throughout the country. The emphasis, however, will be on new schools and extensions to provide additionality in rapidly developing areas.

Holy Trinity national school, Glencairn, Leopardstown, Dublin 18 is a co-educational primary school. The enrolment as at 30 September 2007 was 75 pupils.

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