Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of school building projects assessed as being of Band Two priority awaiting progression by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40239/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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This Government is determined to ensure that every child is educated in a suitable and comfortable environment. Since 1997, great advances have been made in transforming school accommodation throughout the country, through an investment of €3 billion. This has funded over 7,800 individual school projects in the last seven years alone. This year we are spending €500 million on school buildings, compared to just over €90 million in 1997. Under the 2006 Budget €3.9 billion is being provided over the five years 2006-2010 for capital projects at all levels of the education sector from primary to third level.

While the challenge before us in reversing decades of under-investment in school buildings and in responding to emerging needs in new population areas is great, nonetheless we are making huge progress. The level of work being done under the School Building Programme is at an all-time high. While increased investment has been a central reason for this, the introduction of new schemes and changes in how projects are managed have also made a major difference.

Almost 800 were approved for Summer Works projects this year. This innovative scheme, which allows schools to get small projects done over the Summer holidays, did not exist when we came into office and schools were waiting for very many years for improvements such as rewiring, or new roofs or windows. Now when the school gates close for the Summer, the builders move in and the students come back to an improved environment just a few short months later.

To reduce red tape and allow projects to move faster, responsibility for smaller projects has been devolved to school level. Standard designs have also been developed for 8 and 16 classroom schools to facilitate speedier delivery of projects and save on design fees. Improvements have also been made in forward-planning through greater cooperation with local authorities and the publication of Area Development Plans.

In relation to the school building projects awaiting progression, the Deputy will be aware that the number of projects and their individual classifications can vary according to the stage of assessment and their progression though the building programme. At present, my Department has in the region of 1,300 applications for building works on the main building programme. These applications can range from extensions and refurbishments to applications for new schools on new sites. Their status can range from applications recently received in the Department to projects at various stages of architectural planning.

These projects are assessed and prioritised in accordance with the prioritisation criteria agreed with the Education Partners. In this regard, it should be noted that a project's banding, or classification, can be subject to reassessment having regard to demographic developments in the area served by the school and also, for example, if on foot of a technical examination of the school it was found that the proposed project put forward by the school was not an appropriate design solution to meet the accommodation requirements.

In addition to the projects above, there are also approximately 400 applications under the Small Schools Initiative and the Permanent Accommodation Scheme — many of these may also have applied under the main programme. These applications are currently being assessed with a view to an announcement being made shortly. In addition, 1,300 applications for the Summer Works Scheme 2007 are also currently being evaluated. The €3.9 billion envelope provided for education capital in the 2006 budget means that huge progress will continue to be made on school buildings in the coming years. This year alone over 1,300 building projects will be delivered.