Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 149: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the staffing changes made in the primary school planning section in her Department in view of her plans to fast track the building of new schools primarily in the greater Dublin area; the number of personnel and their grades who have been redeployed or seconded to this scheme; if they have been seconded or redeployed from dealing with building projects that are already under way; the length of time this secondment or redeployment will last; the extent to which this will delay school construction projects already approved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29133/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Programme for Government includes a commitment to establish a Developing Areas Unit in my Department, dedicated solely to progressing school planning in rapidly developing areas, building on improvements that have already been made in recent years. I should point out that my Department's School Planning Section has been organised on a geographical basis for some time, with staff dedicated to planning for the needs of counties such as Dublin, Meath and Kildare which include rapidly developing areas. The Developing Areas Unit will consolidate this work. In advance of the full establishment of the unit, some staff have already been redeployed to focus on its priority work, including the need for extra accommodation for September 2008. Discussions are ongoing with the Department of Finance in relation to the additional staffing required to resource this new unit for its longer term work programme.

As the Deputy will be aware, all applications for large scale capital funding are assessed against published prioritisation criteria and assigned a Band rating. Progress on individual projects is then considered in the context of the multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme consistent with the assigned Band rating.

The funding of €4.5 billion to be provided under the new National Development Plan (NDP) for investment in school building infrastructure will be adequate to meet the Department's needs over the lifetime of the plan. This will be the largest investment programme in schools in the history of the State and it will enable the Department to ensure that school places are available where needed as well as continuing to upgrade existing school facilities. This investment will allow the Department to continue the acceleration of the school building programme which commenced during the lifetime of the last NDP when well over €2.6 billion was invested on school development, delivering over 7,800 projects.