Gerard Murphy (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 79: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if a new schools information technology programme has been put in place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27543/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The major focus for the Department of Education and Science is the roll-out of broadband connectivity to all recognised schools. This project is being undertaken in partnership with industry, following the establishment of a three year €18 million joint Government — IBEC-TIF, Telecommunications and Internet Federation Fund to fund local connectivity at school level. The broadband connectivity is being provided via a schools national broadband network supported by HEAnet, which will provide managed Internet access, e-mail, security controls and content filtering. A broadband support service is being provided by the National Centre for Technology in Education to assist schools with advice and information relating to the roll-out and ongoing use of their broadband connectivity within the schools network.

The roll-out process is under way and is expected to be completed by March 2006. The overall costs of the schools broadband access programme, comprising the local connectivity at school level, the schools national broadband network and the support service, including the initial set-up and ongoing costs over the next three years are estimated at some €30 million. The provision of always-on high speed Internet access for recognised schools presents a major development in the ICT in schools initiative to integrate technology into teaching and learning in our schools and to ensure that the ICT skills of our young people are developed to their full potential.

The roll-out of broadband connectivity builds on the recent investment of some €20 million by the Department of Education and Science in providing grants to schools for the development of computer networking facilities. The development of internal networking facilities in schools is critical to supporting schools' full exploitation of the potential offered by broadband connectivity. There has been significant progress in the development of ICT infrastructure in schools, in enhancing teachers skills and pedagogical practice and in the development of curriculum and learning resources, since the introduction of the ICT in schools initiative in 1998. The National Centre for Technology in Education is undertaking a further census of ICT infrastructure and the Department of Education and Science's inspectorate is embarking on an evaluation of the impact of ICT in teaching and learning in schools. These developments will inform future policy directions for the ICT in schools initiative.