Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 460: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will review the costings in respect of the extension to a school (details supplied) in County Kilkenny, in view of the substantial shortfall in finances; if she will increase the allocation in order to alleviate the financial pressure on the board of management and parents of this school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26931/04]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As part of an expansion of the devolved scheme for primary school building works, a grant of €100,000 was sanctioned to enable the management authorities of the school in question to provide additional accommodation.

The initiative allows boards of management to address their accommodation and building priorities with a guaranteed amount of funding and gives boards of management control of the building project.

My Department does not intend increasing the amount of the grant offered to the school. This is because a central tenet of the devolved scheme is that the school authority, granted discretion and funding, must equally accept responsibility for prioritisation, control of costs and ensuring value for money.