Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

I thank Senator Brennan for raising this matter and Senator Finucane for his contribution. It affords me the opportunity to outline to the House the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and the position of the Department of Education and Science regarding the provision of a replacement playground at St. James's School in Cappagh, County Limerick.

Modernising facilities in our 3,200 primary and 750 post-primary schools is not an easy task, given the legacy of decades of under-investment in this area and the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth. Nonetheless, since taking office, the Government has shown a focused determination to improve the condition of our school buildings and to ensure that the appropriate facilities are in place to enable the implementation of a broad and balanced curriculum. Under the National Development Plan 2007 to 2013, funding of €4.5 billion will be invested in a modernisation and development programme for first and second level schools. This unprecedented level of investment will allow us to meet the needs of a growing school population, to modernise existing school facilities and to provide for curriculum reform and innovation.

A total of 7,800 individual school building projects were delivered for the €2.6 billion investment under the 2000-06 period of the last national development plan. The completion of building projects under the €4.5 billion investment in the new plan will benefit from recent innovations in delivery mechanisms that have allowed for fast tracking of priority school developments. Activity under the new plan is already under way, with 1,500 school building projects due to be delivered in 2007.

St. James's School in Cappagh is a co-educational primary school with a September 2006 enrolment of 103 pupils. Enrolments at this school have been relatively stable, with a slight increase in recent years from 86 pupils in 2002 to 103 pupils in 2006. The school originally submitted an application to the Department of Education and Science for major capital investment in its existing buildings. Having considered the school's accommodation needs, the school authorities were offered and accepted funding under the small schools initiative in 2005 to provide accommodation suitable to that of a four-teacher school. This building project is currently under construction.

Earlier this year, the Department of Education and Science announced over 1,100 modernisation projects to improve facilities at schools under the 2007 summer works scheme. The school authority made an application for the provision of a hard-court play area under the scheme. Under the published prioritisation criteria governing this scheme, external environment projects such as the provision of hard play areas fall into category ten. This category was not reached this year. The management authority of the school has appealed the decision and this is currently under consideration in the Department.

I thank the Senator once again for raising this matter and allowing me to outline the progress being made under the school building and modernisation programme and the position regarding the application for the provision of a replacement playground at St. James's School in Cappagh, County Limerick.