Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 338: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow will be provided with an extension to include a physical education hall; the reason this school is being phased out of the SSRI strand and is not included in the school completion programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15942/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As part of a review of all projects for the 2005 capital programme, the application for capital funding from the school referred to by the Deputy was assessed against the published prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects which were revised last year following consultation with the education partners. Under this review, all projects were assigned a band rating and the progress of individual projects is being considered in the context of the school building programme from 2005 onwards.

The new policy framework that I will publish shortly will put in place a new integrated programme of supports that will bring together and build upon existing policy interventions and initiatives for schools and school communities with concentrated levels of disadvantage. It will be introduced on a phased basis, starting in the next school year.

Apart from the additional investment under the new policy framework, resources and supports will continue on the existing basis for the next school year for schools involved in current schemes and programmes for addressing educational disadvantage, including the 53 schools involved in the stay in the school retention strand of the school completion programme.