Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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4. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there will be a minor works grant in 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45455/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I am pleased to inform the Deputy that I announced the 2014-2015 minor works grant on 25 November. The grant, amounting to €28 million in total, will issue over the coming weeks to all primary schools with permanent recognition. Funding under the grant will continue at existing levels with schools receiving a basic grant of €5,500 plus €18.50 per mainstream pupil and €74 per special needs pupil on the rolls on 30 September of the year prior to the issue of the grant, which, in this instance, is 2013. The funds being transferred to the schools must be spent on the physical infrastructure of the schools or on items of furniture and equipment for educational use, including IT related equipment. The minor works grant is an important funding injection for primary schools and I am pleased to be able to provide it this year. I know the funding is put to very effective use by schools.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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I very much welcome that the minor works grant will be paid this year. Many schools are waiting for funds and finding it very difficult to pay their bills and are existing on overdrafts. Unfortunately, no clarity was given to the schools throughout this year as to whether this very important grant would be paid to them. The first time they had any certainty that it would be paid was when the Minister, thankfully, made the decision in the past few days to pay it. As the Minister pointed out, it is worth €5,500 to any school, and €7,500 to the average school. We welcome the fact that it is being paid. As the Minister did not allocate money in her budget for it, she is taking it from the capital budget. Could she detail the implications of taking it from the capital budget? From where, exactly, will it come and what projects will miss out as a result of it? Last year, when this announcement was made, a summer works scheme of €40 million was also announced. Will there be no summer works scheme next year?

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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November has been generally the time the minor works grant has been announced, in the past two years when there was one. There was no minor works grant in 2012-2013. The grant is issued by the building unit, and is not in the annual calendar of grants circulated by the central funds section. The money is found in the building unit. With a very large capital programme, money that one thought would be spent in 2014 might not be spent until 2015. We have been able to find the money in the capital allocation and it will not stop any projects happening in terms of school buildings and replacement of prefabs.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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I do not accept the Minister’s answer. The fact that she has taken €28 million from the capital budget means many schools that are ready to go with their building works and whose building works are in progress are being stalled into next year to provide the money. This is not money that the Minister finds, nor was it before the Government came into office. It was normally allocated in advance in the budget so that schools were told they were to get it. It was always in the primary grants calendar because the money was specifically allocated for it in the budget. Only under the Minister and her predecessor has it been the case. They scramble around to see if they can find money from other sources, namely, by stalling school projects. The Minister should not try to tell us that taking €28 million out of the capital budget will have no impact on schools. This is not reality. Capital projects will miss out as a result. Fianna Fáil is the only party that has put money it its pre-budget submission to provide a capital works grant next year. The Minister has not done it, and this time next year she will be scrabbling around to see if she can take it from somewhere else.

10 o’clock

Will there be a summer works scheme next year? Last year, when local elections were held, the then Minister, Deputy Quinn, managed to find €40 million for that scheme from the capital budget. Clearly the Minister cannot find that sum this year, so I take it that there will be no summer works scheme for primary schools in 2015.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I wish to state categorically that because this grant is being paid, no element of the schools buildings programme will be stalled in any way. I am glad the Deputy welcomes the grant being paid because the schools have certainly welcomed it. It will be useful in all the schools.

As the Deputy knows, the five-year schools buildings programme finishes next year and we are now working on the next programme. Many schools did not get into that five-year programme and they are almost ready to go now. I am aware of many of them around the country and since becoming Minister, I have met with people concerning those schools. Early next year, I will be announcing the next programme.

At the moment there is no allocation for the summer works scheme. I do not know at this stage whether or not there will be extra capital, but at this stage there is not. I am being straight up on that. For the last three years, the minor works scheme has been announced in November, so that is the practice I am following this year. I am pleased that I am able to announce it.