Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful that the Minister has confirmed the information contained in yesterday's press release. It will come as a bombshell to schools throughout the country that there will be no minor works grant next year and that it is likely to be paid in January 2019. According to the press release, the Minister will decide in January 2019 whether money is available to pay the grant but the Minister has said it will be paid at that stage. That would be utterly unsatisfactory for the House. The Minister must tell his Cabinet colleagues, including the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, that this is not a discretionary grant but, rather, money on which schools have come to depend toward the back end of every year to do necessary minor works and without which they could not function. What should happen and what Fianna Fáil advocates is that the scheme and others like it should be put on a statutory footing such that Ministers would not have discretion over them. It is noteworthy that the grant was not paid in only one year during the recession. I ask the Minister to confirm that. It would be bizarre if, as the economy starts to turn, this were to be the key turning point at which the grant would not be paid. This relates to issues I have previously discussed with the Minister, such as his capital budget being under severe pressure due to various factors, including the price of land. I hope that as part of the national capital plan he will highlight to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, that the grant is absolutely necessary for schools.

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