Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 740: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will allocate funding to improve the facilities at a school (details supplied); her views on whether it is fair to have children at the current facilities and to have a playground at the school that is too old and too dangerous to use; her further views on whether it is acceptable that disadvantaged children use prefabs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19462/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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An application for major capital funding for the school to which the Deputy refers was assessed in accordance with 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 currently being considered in the context of the school building programme from 2005 onwards.

The Deputy will be aware that I have made a number of announcements on the 2005 school building programme since the beginning of the year. In April I announced details of 43 school projects, which are being authorised to proceed to architectural planning immediately. I will be making further announcements on projects, which will progress on a phased basis into the architectural planning process in the next 12 to 15 months. The proposed project at the school in question will be considered in this context.

In the meantime, it is open to the school authority to apply for funding under the summer works scheme to address any issues surrounding its play area. I will be publishing details of the scheme for 2006 later this year.