Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her reply. I ask her to pass on to her colleague in government, the Minister, Deputy Bruton, my repeated request that should capital funding become available within his Department between now and the end of the year, this is a project in respect of which any funding provided would be put to good use. As the Minister is aware, there can be delays in some capital projects at the end of a year and these provide the opportunity for a reallocation of funding to more minor works. In those instances, the money can be drawn down quickly and spent before the end of the year.

Bunscoil Lughaidh Naofa has a current enrolment of 282 pupils and has grown considerably since it opened 31 years ago in 1985. I again emphasise that apart from minor works grants, which by their nature entail small amounts of funding, no capital funding has been spent on the school during that time. The school has spent its own money. It has fund-raised and put the money to good use. The school has the full support of its board of management and successive parents' associations but now has reached a point where it is not in a position to fund-raise any more to carry out this necessary work. I emphasise that the principal, Ms Maeve Callan, her staff, the board of management and the parents' association are fearful of the heating costs that will arise for the school in the event of a severe winter. The capitation grant is lower than all Members would wish and there are pressures on schools but a severe winter would cause severe financial hardship for that school. I appeal to the Minister to pass on to the Minister, Deputy Bruton, the request I again make, namely, to have funding allocated before the end of this year to enable those much-needed improvement works to be undertaken at the earliest possible date. I assure the Minister that the school community in question will ensure that any State funding allocated to it will be put to good use.

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