Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I am replying to this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the Dáil the Government's strategy for capital investment in school building projects and also to outline the current position on the building project to provide improved accommodation at Scoil Chaitríona junior and senior schools at Renmore, Galway.

The Government, in its programme for Government, is committed to drawing up a new national development plan that reflects Ireland's changed economic circumstances, covering the seven-year period 2012-19. The plan will be based on a comprehensive study of Ireland's public investment priorities in that period. In the initial years, when resources will be most heavily constrained, the programme for Government commits to prioritising investment in a number of specific areas, including school buildings. The Government will insist that major capital projects are subjected to proper cost-benefit analysis and evaluation, improving future productivity and growth prospects, and that the value for money obtained is significantly enhanced compared to the most recent period. Modernising facilities in our existing building stock as well responding to the emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth will continue to be a significant challenge.

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 and so forth, 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 schools building and modernisation programme on the basis of priority of need which 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 exists but there is a high demand for pupil places, while a band four project makes provision for desirable but not necessarily urgent or essential facilities, such as a library or new sports hall.

The project to provide new accommodation for Scoil Caitríona junior and senior schools has been assigned a band rating of 1.2 under the published prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects. The project commenced with a brief to provide an extension and refurbishment of the existing accommodation for both schools. The schools both occupy a restricted site in Renmore. A review of the initial brief took place in 2006 at which time it was decided it should be revised to provide for two new schools on the existing site.

Due to the significant expansion of the brief, it was deemed necessary to terminate the appointment of the existing design team and commence the process of appointing a new design team using the Official Journal of the European Union tender process. This tender process commenced in May 2007. However, due to competing priorities on the Department's resources and the emerging need to concentrate on the provision of new schools in rapidly developing areas, this process was not completed. The project was not included in the school building work programme for 2011 published earlier this year by my predecessor.

The progression of all large-scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will continue to be considered in the context of the Department's multi-annual schools building and modernisation programme for 2011 and subsequent years. However, in light of competing demands on the capital budget of the Department it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of this project to completion of tender and construction. I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to outline to the Dáil the current position regarding the school building project for Scoil Caitríona junior and senior schools in Renmore, Galway.

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