Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I apologise for the absence of the Minister for Education and Science who is busy on other Government business. I thank the Senator for raising the matter as it affords me the opportunity to outline the Department's strategy for capital investment in education projects and to outline the position on the application received in the Department for additional accommodation at Scoil Eoin Baiste in Carrigart, County Donegal.

Since the beginning of the year the Minister has made a number of announcements on the schools building and modernisation programme. This year alone, €270 million will be allocated to primary schools and €223 million to post-primary schools for building works. This represents an increase of 14% on the 2004 allocation. The new schools building and modernisation programme for 2005-09 will be underpinned by a significant increase in overall funding and by major improvements in the administration of that funding. Devolving more funding to local level through the summer works scheme and the small and rural schools initiative will allow schools to move ahead much more quickly with smaller projects while also delivering better value for money.

Scoil Eoin Baiste in Carrigart is a coeducational primary school with a current enrolment of 83 pupils. The school has a current staffing of a principal plus three mainstream teachers and one permanent resource teacher. Enrolments have decreased slightly in recent years, from 90 pupils in 2000 to 83 pupils in September 2004. The school authority made an application to the Department of Education and Science for the provision of a general purposes room and ancillary accommodation. The pupil enrolments at the school have necessitated a further examination of the schools long-term accommodation needs, in order to ensure that any capital funding provided is appropriate to meet the need.

I assure the Senator that this project will be considered in the context of the Department's school building and modernisation fund 2005-09. Once again, I thank the Senator for raising this matter.