Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 1184: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if there is any financial assistance available from her Department to enable a school (details supplied) in Dublin 11 to purchase a computer suite for the principal's use; if there is any other financial assistance for a school in a start-up situation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25182/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has since 1998 issued a number of grants to recognised first and second level schools, under the Schools IT2000 and Blueprint for the Future of ICT in Education initiatives, to assist in the development of school ICT infrastructure. These grants were expended according to development priorities set locally by school authorities in their school ICT plan and as such neither included nor precluded expenditure on equipment for the principal's use. My Department's emphasis for support in 2004 and the current year has been the specific development of ICT networking facility in schools rather than equipment purchase and more recently in 2005 for the provision of broadband Internet connectivity to schools.

A start-up grant of €6,348.69 is payable to newly recognised primary schools which began operating from 1 September 2001 onwards, apart from those resulting from amalgamations. The grant is payable to any primary school which is newly recognised and has not previously existed as a recognised school in any form. It is intended to provide start-up funding to enable new schools to purchase such items as equipment, furniture, teaching and administrative materials and to cover insurance and other costs attendant with the operation of a new school.