Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I am responding to the Deputy on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. I wish to thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity of outlining to the House the position of the Department of Education and Science regarding the provision of improved facilities for Clifden community school, County Galway.

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 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. 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. In other words, a proposed building project moves through the system commensurate with the band rating assigned to it.

There are four band ratings overall, of which band one is the highest and band four the lowest. Band one projects, for example, include the provision of buildings where none currently exist, but there is a high demand for pupil places, while a band four project makes provision of desirable, but not necessarily urgent or essential facilities, such as a library or new sports hall. The proposed extension and refurbishment of Clifden community school has been assigned a band rating of 2.3.

The proposed extension and refurbishment project for Clifden community school is based on a long-term projected enrolment of 425 pupils. The current enrolment is 401 pupils, 383 mainstream pupils and 18 PLC pupils. The area of the proposed new accommodation amounts to 1,676 sq. m and includes general classrooms, two science laboratories, woodwork and construction studies room, technical graphics room, general purpose and dining area and other ancillary accommodation. It also includes some refurbishment work to the existing accommodation, the toilets area, metalwork room, home economics room and art and craft room.

The school authorities were informed on 11 January 2008 that the stage three, detailed design, for the project was approved but the project was not authorised to progress further at that time. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction is dependent on the prioritisation of competing demands on the funding available under the Department's capital budget. This project will be considered on an on-going basis in the context of the Department's multi-annual school building and modernisation programme.

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and point out that over the lifetime of the national development plan, NDP, the Government is providing funding of €4.5 billion for school buildings. This will be the largest investment programme in schools in the history of the State and it will enable the Department to ensure that school places are available where they are needed. This investment will allow the Department to continue the school building programme which commenced during the life time of the last NDP when well over €2.6 billion was invested in school development delivering, as it did, over 7,800 projects.

The allocation for school buildings in 2009 is €581 million. This represents a significant investment in the school building and modernisation programme. This level of funding for the building programme, at a time of great pressure on public finances, is a sign of the very real commitment of the Government to investing in school infrastructure and will permit the continuation of progress in the overall improvement of school accommodation.

The Minister for Education and Science is committed to providing suitable high quality accommodation for Clifden community school at the earliest possible date. However, in light of current economic circumstances, and with competing demands on the capital budget of the Department, it is not possible for the Minister to give an indicative timeframe for the further progression of this project at this time. I thank the Deputy once again for raising this matter.

See this speech in context