Written answers

Tuesday, 21 March 2006

Department of Education and Science

Schools Building Projects

8:00 pm

Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 721: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the fact that many schools are in serious financial difficulties due to projects in the devolved school building programme being under-funded resulting in local communities having to resort to major fund-raising projects to finance large shortfalls; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10103/06]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Devolving funding to school management authorities allows them to have control of their projects, assists in moving projects more quickly to tender and construction and can also deliver better value for money.

The two devolved schemes, the small schools scheme and the permanent accommodation scheme, were originally introduced on a pilot basis. Due to the positive feedback from schools they were extended to cover more schools in the past two years.

The schemes are not structured on the basis that the Department funding must be supplemented by local fundraising. However, they allow a school to supplement the funding from local resources if it so wishes. The critical element is that with devolved authority the school must set the scope of works to match the funding allocated. The Department does not define the precise works to be carried out. A school can make choices within the budget allocated.

Setting the scope of works is the critical first step. Clearly where a school has a known level of resources apart from the Department funding or knows its capacity to raise additional resources, it is open to that school to extend the scope of works to include additional facilities. However, if the scope of works is not set appropriately from the outset based on the budget available, there is a risk that the school will be faced with a funding gap when the project is at construction.

The choices to be made within these devolved schemes rest with the school and that is the cornerstone of any policy of devolution. The school authority knows the budget and must decide what it is capable of building with that budget. The time to identify a problem is at the outset before entering any contract. Schools can raise with the Department of Education and Science any site-specific problems or unusual planning stipulations that impose additional costs and these will be examined. Otherwise schools must reduce the scope of intended works so as to remain within budget. A school is not required to accept the invitation to participate in a devolved scheme and instead can opt to be considered for inclusion in the mainstream school building programme in line with the project's priority band rating.

The feedback has in general been very positive, the number of schools participating has increased each year and many schools are anxious to be included. In order to maintain this momentum I have invited 210 schools to participate in these schemes in 2006. These schools have been invited to attend information meetings held by officials from the Department of Education and Science in Tullamore on 20 and 21 March. Following the meetings the schools have the opportunity to decide whether to become involved in the process.

I have increased funding for the schemes this year by an average of 20% for permanent accommodation scheme and by an average of 10% for the small schools scheme. These increases follow on from increases of up to 25% in 2005.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.