Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 155: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the progress in relation to a school (details supplied) in County Tipperary regarding the cost of classrooms which the school funded and for which it is seeking retrospective payment or rent; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32509/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In 2002 the school to which the Deputy refers was granted €170,000 for the provision of two permanent classrooms. In 2003 it built a third classroom without prior approval from the Department.

The School Building Programme lists projects to be funded in any given year. Projects undertaken by schools without the approval or agreement of the Department will not be funded as, to do so, would reward queue jumping and undermine the openness and transparency of the system, which is the essential point of publishing the School Building Programme. It also would be impossible to manage the capital budget if there was no central prioritisation and allocation system in place.

Circular Letter 5/04, 'Schools Seeking Funding Retrospectively for Capital Works', governs this issue. A copy has been issued to the management authority of the school in question.