Michael Ahern (Cork East, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Senator for raising this matter as it provides me, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, with the opportunity to outline to the Seanad the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and also to outline the current position of the building project for Athlone community college.

Modernising facilities in approximately 3,200 primary and 730 post-primary schools is not an easy task given the legacy of decades of under-investment in this area as well as the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth. None the less, the Government has shown a consistent determination to improve the condition of our school buildings and to ensure the appropriate facilities are in place to enable the implementation of a broad and balanced curriculum.

The Government has dramatically increased investment in the school building programme from slightly more than €90 million in 1997 to almost €600 million this year. Under the lifetime of the national development plan almost €4.5 billion will be invested in schools. This is an unprecedented level of capital investment which reflects the commitment of the Government to continue its programme of sustained investment in primary and post-primary schools.

As the Senator may be aware, a developing areas unit was set up recently in the Department to focus on the school accommodation needs of rapidly developing areas. The main emphasis in 2008 is on providing sufficient school places in these developing areas, as well as delivering improvements in the quality of existing primary and post-primary school accommodation throughout the country.

The developing areas unit of the Department has identified Athlone as an area of rapid development. In this regard, a decision has already been taken to replace and expand the existing Athlone community college. The new building, when complete, will cater for 1,000 pupils. This project has advanced to the point where schedules of accommodation have been drawn up. These were issued for observations to the vocational education committee and its response in this regard is being considered by the Department's senior building inspector.

While I am not in a position to give a timetable for the commencement of this project, I reiterate that the need for a new school building for the school in question is acknowledged by the Department. Once the schedules of accommodation have been finalised and agreed, the building project required to deliver the new school building will be considered in the context of the multi-annual school building and modernisation programme. I thank Senator McFadden for affording me the opportunity to outline to the Seanad the current position of Athlone community college.