Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)

The Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Coughlan, sends her apologies. I thank the Senator for raising this matter and acknowledge his deep interest in the school in question as well as in the broader Midleton area. If I received an invite from him or the board of management, I would be delighted to visit the school. As he knows, we are always reluctant to trespass on other people's areas. If I can, I will use my position as a Minister of State to assist schools in County Cork and elsewhere. I am aware of the problems of St. John the Baptist national school as I know one or two people whose children attend it.

Modernising facilities in our existing building stock, as well as the requirement to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth, are significant challenges. 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.

All applications for capital funding are assessed in the planning and building unit of the Department of Education and Skills against published prioritisation criteria, which were formulated following consultation with the education partners. The assessment process determines the extent and type of accommodation needed based on population growth, demographic trends, current and projected enrolments, recent and planned housing developments and the capacity of existing schools to meet the demand for pupil places. As part of this process, a project is assigned a band rating under the prioritisation criteria. There are four band ratings in all, with band 1 being the highest and band 4 the lowest. For example, band 1 projects include the provision of schools where none currently is available but where there is a high demand for pupil places while a band 4 project provides for desirable but not necessarily urgent or essential facilities. Projects are selected for inclusion in the school building and modernisation programme on the basis of priority of need. This is reflected in the band rating assigned them. A building project moves through the system commensurate with the band rating assigned to it and as it is ready to proceed.

The school to which the Senator referred has a staffing level of a principal and eight mainstream teachers. The school also has the services of two learning support-resource teachers and a resource teacher. In 2009, the school had an enrolment of 219 pupils, representing a 22% increase in enrolments in the past five years. The school applied for the provision of an extension to the existing school building in 2005. The project was assigned a band rating of 2.2, which reflects the fact that there is a deficit of mainstream accommodation that constitutes a substantial and significant proportion of the school's overall accommodation needs. The Senator referred to the number of prefabs, some of which only have temporary planning permission. This matter is taken into account when considering the criteria. Owing to competing demands on the Department's capital budget, it has not been possible to progress the project through architectural planning.

The extent of the demand on the Department's capital budget is enormous, providing as it does for accommodation for new communities, modernisation and extending existing schools. However, huge inroads have been made in addressing these needs. In this regard, the Senator will be aware that in February the then Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, announced details of 52 major school building projects to proceed to tender and construction. In recent years a further 22 major school building projects were approved to enter architectural planning, while this year a further 29 high priority projects will begin the design process and appoint design teams. It was not possible, however, to include the project for St. John the Baptist national school in the announcement and, therefore, it will not proceed this year. However, it will be considered for inclusion in the Department's 2011 programme and future capital programmes in accordance with its band rating and the availability of resources.

The Senator will understand it is not possible to progress all projects at the same time, as resources must be in place to complete a project. This is a critically important point. For many years schools were allowed to enter the schools building programme when there was absolutely no hope of the projects proceeding because no financial resources were made available to ensure school building projects could be funded. Now they progress only if there are commensurate resources available to meet the cost of their development. All school building projects, including that of St. John the Baptist national school, will be advanced incrementally through the system over time as funding becomes available.

I thank the Senator for raising the issue. If the school, local Senators and Deputies contact me, I will be delighted to visit the school.