Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Senator for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the House the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and to outline the current position in regard to the specific difficulties and solutions for acquiring a site for Monreagh national school, Carrigans, County Donegal.

At the outset, the Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, would like me to clarify that modernising facilities in our existing building stock, as well as the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth, is a significant challenge. The Government has shown a consistent determination to improve the condition of 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 schools building programme to almost €600 million this year. The expected completion in 2008 of 67 large scale projects at primary level and 19 projects at post-primary level will benefit more than 18,000 students, and construction work on 150 devolved projects will provide an additional 8,000 permanent places in existing primary schools. The Senator also will be aware that in September the Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, announced a further tranche of 24 large-scale projects to progress to tender and construction. This year has also seen a particular emphasis on the delivery of additional school places in rapidly developing areas, with the construction of 26 new schools under the fast track off-site construction programme.

This is an enormous programme of work by any standards and, while there will continue to be a focus on providing extra places in developing areas, the Department will also deliver improvements in the quality of existing primary and post-primary school accommodation throughout the country. The emphasis, however, will continue to be on new schools and extensions to provide additionality in rapidly developing areas. The programme will also enable the purchase of sites to facilitate the smooth delivery of the schools building programme but, again, with the focus being on site requirements in rapidly developing areas.

In regard to Monreagh national school, the Office of Public Works, which acts generally on behalf of the Department in regard to site acquisitions for schools, was requested to source a suitable site in June 2001. The OPW advised the Department that on foot of advertising it had identified a number of sites which were inspected by its regional architect and four were eventually selected for further consideration. One of these sites was identified as the preferred option and, in November 2004, the Department instructed the OPW to open negotiations on this site. The acquisition of this site was almost complete in September 2006, when, however, the OPW advised my Department that the vendor could not offer good marketable title to the property. Consequently, the Department instructed the OPW to re-advertise.

The school authorities recently approached the Department with a proposal in regard to an alternative site. The Department is currently arranging for a technical assessment of that site's suitability. If the site is deemed to be suitable, the next step will be to acquire the site. Clearly, closure of the acquisition of the site will be dependent on the availability of the necessary capital funds. At this stage, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the acquisition of the site. However, once a site has been acquired to construct a new school, the project will be considered for progression in line with the band rating assigned to the project and the availability of the necessary funds.

I thank the Senator once again for affording me the opportunity to outline to the House the current position in regard to the site acquisition for Monreagh national school, Carrigans, County Donegal.