Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 177: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the amount allocated towards the provision of IT equipment in primary and secondary schools for 2004; the amount allocated in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9686/04]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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Significant resources have been provided by my Department under the Schools IT 2000 Project 1998-2000, and the Blueprint for the Future of ICT in Irish Education 2001-2003. In addition to a range of advisory and training supports, capital grants were made available to schools for the development of their ICT infrastructure. The levels of capital support for first and second level schools, which were in addition to that provided as a consequence of new school building or refurbishment projects, are set out below for the period 2000-03: 2000, €3.793 million; 2001, €27.571 million; 2002, €23.748 million; and 2003, €6.518 million. My Department's capital allocation for expenditure on schools' IT equipment for the current year is €6.323 million.

Future funding for computer equipment in primary and post-primary schools will be considered in the context of available resources and plans for a new schools' ICT strategy which are currently at an advanced stage of preparation in my Department.