James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it gives me an opportunity to outline to the House the position of the Department of Education and Skills regarding the allocation of funding for Emly national school, County Tipperary. I am also aware that the Deputy has raised this matter with the Minister's advisers on a number of occasions.

In July 2010, following an application by the school authority, Emly national school was approved funding of €100,000 under the additional accommodation scheme to provide an 80 sq. m permanent mainstream classroom to the school. It is a central tenet of the scheme that responsibility for the management of a project, including cost control, rests with the school authority. The conditions of this approved funding were set out to the school in a letter of 6 July 2010, which explained that any works carried out over and above the level of grant aid approved must be borne by the school authority.

In March 2011, the school authority wrote to the Department of Education and Skills requesting additional funding of more than €124,000 in addition to the original funding approved of €100,000. This would bring the costs of building one mainstream classroom to more than €224,000. This is well in excess of the normal basic building costs of €100,000 for a single classroom extension. The school explained that the additional funding was as a result of planning conditions imposed on the building project, including conditions associated with the fact that the school is a listed building and required cladding to the front and side elevation of the extension. A thorough examination of a project with cost increases of this magnitude is essential to the efficient and effective administration of funding under this scheme. Officials in the Department's planning and building unit undertook such an examination and it was discovered that the school had significantly increased the scope of works to that which was originally approved. The scope of works approved had been increased to a classroom of 104 sq. m, instead of 80 sq. m agreed, a disabled toilet, a staffroom and extensive circulation space. An assessment of the case indicated that even with the planning conditions imposed, the likely extension costs including planning requirements, could be achieved within the original grant of €100,000. In July 2011, the school authorities were notified that the application for additional funding was unsuccessful. The school authorities were informed of the reasons for the refusal and that it was open to the school to reduce the scope of works to stay within the grant allocated.

I am sure the Deputy appreciates there are many competing demands on the Department of Education and Skills capital resources and in this context it must prioritise applications for the provision of much needed additional mainstream classroom accommodation. A total of €357 million will be spent under the Department's school building programme this year alone. In the current economic climate, it is essential that costs are kept under control in the construction of school buildings and that those responsible ensure that value for money is achieved for the taxpayer. In this way, we can ensure completion of the maximum number of projects from within the funds available to the Minister for Education and Skills for the school building programme. I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to outline the current position to the House.

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