John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 740: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if the new school building for a school (details supplied) in County Kilkenny has gone to e-tender stage; the timeframe involved from now to construction stage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22678/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the advertisement seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified consultants to form the design team for the school in question was placed on the public procurement portal, www.etenders.gov.ie on Friday, 24 June 2005.

This is a two stage selection process and the closing date for receipt of expressions of interest — stage 1 — is 18 July 2005. It is anticipated that the full design team should be formally appointed by the end of August. The architectural service for this project is being dealt with in-house by the school building section and substantial work on the early stages of the design process has already been completed. It is not possible at this point to indicate when the architectural planning process will be completed. There are five stages in this process and the timeframe for completing these stages is contingent on various factors including any unexpected issues that may arise, the period of time for the granting of planning permission and obtaining a fire certificate, etc.

A decision on which school building projects will advance to tender and construction as part of the 2006 schools building and modernisation programme will be taken later in the year.

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Question 741: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the criteria under which private, fee paying secondary schools receive funding under her Department's school building programme. [22679/05]

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Question 742: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of private, fee paying secondary schools on her Department's school building programme list. [22680/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 741 and 742 together.

Over 1,340 schools will benefit from the announcements I have made so far this year with regard to the school buildings and modernisation programme. Of these only 12, or 0.9%, are fee charging schools. School building projects, whether for fee charging schools or schools in the free education scheme, are selected for inclusion in the schools building and modernisation programme on the basis of priority of need using published criteria.

Of the €2 billion that has been invested in school buildings since 1999, only €14.5million, or 0.7%, was provided to fee charging second level schools for building and refurbishment works. Last year just over €970,000 in capital funding was given to fee paying schools. This represents 0.29% of total expenditure on school buildings in 2004.

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Question 743: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of private, fee paying secondary schools which received funding on her Department's school building programme in the past five years. [22681/05]

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Question 744: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the amount of money which was spent by her Department on building projects for private, fee paying secondary schools in the past five years under her Department's school building programme. [22682/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 743 and 744 together.

During the five year period 2000-04, 26 private fee paying second level schools received funding from my Department under the school building programme. The allocation to the 26 schools amounted to €12,382,719 over the period. The funding represents 1.5% of the post primary budget for the years 2000 to 2004 and just over 0.5% of my Department's overall capital allocation for that period.