Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science, of outlining to the House the position regarding an application from the authorities of St. Nicholas's primary school for grant aid towards a new school building. At present, St. Nicholas's primary school is staffed by a principal, two mainstream class teachers and a shared learning support teacher who is not based in the school. The enrolment at 30 September 2002 was 71. The school's current facilities consist of two classrooms, a portakabin for the third teacher and another for the resource and remedial teacher.

An application for the provision of a new school building is with the Department of Education and Science's planning and building unit. The Minister for Education and Science will be announcing his Department's expenditure proposals relating to primary school buildings in the new year. In the meantime, it is not possible to say when individual projects will proceed to architectural planning or construction. However, the Department of Education and Science is committed to the provision of improved accommodation at St. Nicholas's primary school.