Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 559: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the significant changes which have been implemented by her Department to date in 2005 in delivering the national spatial strategy; and the costs, benefits and savings that have accrued. [34086/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the new school planning model involving published area development plans is being piloted by my Department in five different areas. An area development plan sets out a blueprint for the development of educational infrastructure. A draft development plan for an area is first produced containing details of existing primary and post primary provision; the demographics of the area and other relevant factors; commentary on the data; and recommendations for educational infrastructural provision in an area into the future.

Following a widespread consultation process where all interested parties are invited to make submissions, the completed area development plan is then published. It will be used into the next decade for capital funding decisions on educational infrastructure.

Area development plans have now been published for Mountmellick and Mouthrath and the areas covered by the N4-M4 route, from Leixlip to Kilbeggan.

The public consultation process is well under way on the draft plan for Newport-Westport and it is anticipated that the final plan will be published before the end of the school year.

Over the remainder of the school year, draft plans will be published for the remaining areas included in the pilot, that is, north Dublin, south Louth and mid-Meath and the north Kerry area, which will include Tralee and Castleisland.

The Deputy will also be aware that since the beginning of 2005, I have made a series of announcements, listed below, under the school building and modernisation programme detailing major projects allowed to progress under the €3.4 billion multi-annual funding secured for the years 2005-09. 2005 School Building Programme Publications (1) 122 projects allowed to proceed to tender-construction — announced 10 January 2005. (2) 191 devolved capital projects — an expansion of the number of schools invited to deliver their building projects on the basis of devolved funding — announced 24 February 2005. (3) 43 schools with projects allowed to start architectural planning — announced 3 March 2005. (4) 590 projects approved under the 2005 summer works scheme totalling in excess of €62 million — announced 7 March 2005. (5) 124 schools with building projects allowed to progress through architectural planning — announced 20 April 2005. (6) 151 projects approved under the 2nd phase of the 2005 summer works scheme totalling €8.5 million — announced 23 June 2005. (7) 27 education projects in addition to third level projects suitable for construction under public private partnership totalling €555 million — announced 29 September 2005.

In 2005 a total of €206 million of Exchequer funds will be invested in primary schools and €224 million in post-primary schools for building and modernisation works.