Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 342: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her Department intends to fund or part-fund a school (details supplied) in County Mayo which has a building which can provide accommodation for 24 students but which needs assistance with running costs; if she will take into account that this is a registered charity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7330/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides funding to schools recognised for the purposes of the Education Act 1998. The basis for recognising new primary schools derives from the provisions of the Education Act which allow a prospective patron to seek approval for a school that reflects the characteristic spirit of the sponsor. More recently through establishing the new school advisory committee my Department has put in place a structured, open, transparent and consultative process under which all applications for new schools are processed. The process for obtaining recognition for new primary schools involves a number of stages including: formal notification of intention to apply for recognition; public consultation and identification of need; formal application for recognition; assessment of the application by a new schools advisory committee which will consult with interested parties, and report to the Minister; and decision by the Minister and provision for appeal by the applicant to an independent appeals committee.

The application process for schools intending to seek recognition from September 2006 is already underway. Full details of the applications procedure and the timeframe for consideration of applications for 2007 will be published before the end of the current school year and will also be available on the Department's website at www.education.ie.