Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 187: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if an application by a school (details supplied) in County Longford will be expedited regarding the necessary refurbishments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7345/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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An application for refurbishment has been received from the school to which the Deputy refers. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria, which were revised following consultation with the education partners. Progress on the project is being considered in the context of the school building programme.

In that regard, the Deputy will be aware that on 10 January this year I announced the first phase of the 2005 school building programme, which provided details of 122 major school building projects countrywide which will prepare tenders and move to construction during 2005. The Deputy will also be aware that last week I announced details of an expansion of the number of schools that will be invited to deliver their building projects on the basis of devolved funding.

Those announcements form part of a series that I plan to make regarding the schools building and modernisation programme that will include: details of schools with projects approved under the 2005 summer works scheme; schools whose projects will further progress through the design process; schools that will be authorised to commence architectural planning; and details of schools identified as suitable for construction under public private partnerships.