Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 502: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if funding will be provided to extend the parking spaces at a school (details supplied) in County Limerick to ensure safety of the pupils attending. [4138/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In accordance with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, individual school authorities are responsible in the first instance for ensuring the safety and welfare of children and others in their care. Provision is built into the annual school building programme to enable schools to address urgent health and safety issues as identified by the school authority by way of an annual allocation, currently amounting to €3,809 plus €12.70 per pupil, under the devolved grants scheme for minor works. This allocation which can be used entirely at the discretion of the school authority to address issues such as the extension of car parking spaces as required at the school referred to by the Deputy. Where schools are unable to address all issues arising on an incremental basis it is open to the school authority to apply for funding from my Department under the appropriate scheme — in this instance, the summer works scheme. It is open to the school's management authority to apply for funding under the 2007 summer works scheme, details of which will be announced later in the year.