Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 107: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the measures she is taking to address the backlog in the school building programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6229/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The demand for additional accommodation in schools has risen significantly over the last number of years mainly due to the rapid expansion in teacher numbers particularly in the area of special needs, the growth in the school-going population in rapidly developing areas, including the impact of immigration, and the demands to cater for diversity through the recognition of new Gaelscoileanna and Educate Together schools. Major progress has been made in meeting all of those needs.

We have dramatically increased investment in the school building programme in recent years. During the period of the last National Development Plan 2000-2006 my Department accelerated the school building programme with record levels of investment and the streamlining of delivery systems. An aggregate total of well over €2.6 billion was invested in upgrading existing school infrastructure and providing new school accommodation at both first and second-level. This programme delivered over 7,800 building projects.

In 2007, over 1,500 projects were delivered, including over 700 classrooms to provide permanent accommodation for approximately 17,500 pupils, mainly in developing areas.

The Government is making available almost €600 million for the school building programme in 2008. A key priority of the programme in 2008 and subsequent years will be the delivery of additional capacity in the rapidly developing areas. I am conscious of the need to provide more school places in these areas quickly and these are being delivered.

However, I am equally conscious of the need to address the needs of the many schools throughout the country which may not be in rapidly developing areas but which need major investment for refurbishment and extension. I intend that projects in these schools will also proceed during 2008 and 2009.

New schools have been built in rapidly developing areas and more are planned to accommodate continuing demographic changes. Many schools have had extensions built. Major refurbishments of schools have also been undertaken.

Not only are we investing far more in school buildings, but the improvements that have been made in the planning, design and delivery processes are also helping to deliver projects much faster. There is now much greater forward-planning, with close and regular engagement with local authorities, while a new partnership model has been developed to deliver community facilities in tandem with new schools and the publication of 10-year Area Development Plans.

Innovations in the delivery of school buildings such as Generic Repeat Designs and the use of the Design and Build model ensure that new school buildings are delivered in the fastest time-frame possible. My Department also adopted a policy of devolving much greater authority to local school management boards to manage and deliver smaller building projects, thereby freeing my Department to concentrate on the larger scale projects.

In my most recent announcement on the 2008 large-scale building programme, I approved 48 projects to commence construction including 30 new primary schools in rapidly developing areas that are planned to be in place by next September under an accelerated building programme. It is also intended to provide additional accommodation at a number of schools under this programme.

My Department also has other projects coming on stream to the tendering and construction stages and I will be making further announcements about these as the 2008 school building programme is rolled out.

I assure the Deputy that through both increased investment under the NDP and the improved planning and delivery processes that we have put in place in recent years, the Government will ensure that school accommodation needs will be met.