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 Deputy Bannon for raising the matter since it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the House the Government's strategy for capital investment in school building projects and to outline the current position on the building project to provide for a new school building to replace the existing Curraghmore national school in Mullingar, County Westmeath.

In its programme for Government, the Government is committed to drawing up a new national development plan that reflects Ireland's changed economic circumstances, covering the seven-year period from 2012 to 2019. 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 several 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 as 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.

A project to provide new accommodation for Curraghmore national school has been assigned a band two rating under the published prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects. The provision, however, of a new building for the school necessitates the acquisition of a site. In this regard, the Department is in ongoing discussion with the local authority with a view to acquiring a suitable site for the proposed new school building. However, due to the commercial sensitivities pertaining to site acquisitions generally, it is not possible for me to comment further at this time.

When a site is available, consideration can be given to the inclusion of a building project for the school in the Department's multi-annual schools building and modernisation programme. 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 at this time.

I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House the current position regarding the school building project for Curraghmore national school.

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