Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 281: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which the national schools building programme is progressing in accordance with requirements; the number of schools refurbished or replaced in the past five years; the number likely to be replaced or refurbished in the next two years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8293/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Between 1998 and 2004 over €920 million has been invested on primary educational infrastructure relating to individual building projects, site purchases, dust, asbestos and radon remediation programmes, science initiatives, contingency, furniture and equipment. This investment has delivered 84 new school buildings, over 350 large scale refurbishment and extension projects, over 6,000 smaller scale projects and thousands of other small scale works under the annual minor works grant.

The Government remains committed to continuing the work it has started and to consolidating the substantial progress already made to ensure that the needs of schools throughout the country are met over time. Proof of this commitment is that this year's school building programme is the largest in the history of the State. Out of an overall capital budget of €493 million for schools, €270 million is available for primary school investment. This brings to almost €1.2 billion the amount that will have been invested since 1998 on primary schools.

I recently announced the first phases of the 2005 school building and modernisation programme which provided the following details: 122 major school building projects country wide, including 89 primary school projects which will prepare tenders and move to construction during the next 12 to 15 months; an additional 171 primary schools which will be invited to deliver their building projects on the basis of devolved funding; 43 schools, of which 32 are primary schools, which will be authorised to commence architectural planning; and 590 schools approved for funding under the 2005 summer works scheme, over 360 of which are primary schools.

In addition to the above, approximately €18 million in respect of all primary schools will be issued under the devolved grant to enable schools to carry out minor works. Each primary school gets a standard grant of €3,809 together with a per pupil rate of €12.70.

I plan to make further announcements in the coming period on the school building and modernisation programme which will include details of schools identified as suitable for construction under public private partnerships and schools whose projects will further progress through the design process.