Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 320: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the funding options that will be available to schools who would have applied under the summer works scheme which are not going ahead; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35852/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, the Summer Works Scheme was introduced in 2004. Since then, over 3,000 projects costing in excess of €300 million have been completed. Considerable extra investment has been provided in the Budget to increase funding for school buildings to almost €600 million next year. With so many small projects having been completed over the past few years, I intend to focus on delivering as many large projects as possible in 2008. There will not, therefore, be a new Summer Works Scheme as part of our building programme next year.

Individual school authorities are responsible in the first instance for health and safety issues relating to schools. Primary school authorities may use their annual minor works grant to deal with such issues. In November 2006 I increased funding for the minor works grant by 44% on the previous year and around €27m was paid out to primary schools throughout the country to enable thousands of small scale works to be completed without the need to interact with my Department.

Another avenue to claim grant-aid from my Department is the Emergency Works Fund. Grants from this fund are available for very urgent unforeseen works, primarily of a significant health and safety nature, to schools that are in most need of resources for capital works.