John Cregan (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 779: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when a final decision will be made regarding the provision of additional funding from her Department to a school (details supplied) in County Limerick; the amount that is being allocated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11920/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As part of the expansion of the Small Schools Scheme, a grant of €484,000 was sanctioned in March 2007 for the school in question to enable the Board of Management to extend and modernise their school.

The intention of the scheme is to provide funding to schools to enable them to undertake wanted building projects. The scheme is not intended to leave schools with significant fundraising needs but for the school to tailor the scope of capital works commissioned to the available funding. The decision on whether to continue participating in the scheme or to drop out, if the scope of build is more than the funding envelope permits, is a matter for each school authority.

A central tenet of the devolved scheme is that the school, granted discretion and funding, must equally accept responsibility for prioritisation, adherence to statutory regulations, control of costs and ensuring value for money.

The school was approved additional funding to cover unavoidable extra costs associated with the project. They have submitted another appeal for additional funding and my Department will be in contact with the school in the matter in the near future.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 780: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason for the delay in progressing the building of the new secondary school at Borris Road, Portlaoise, having regard to the fact that the tender process was completed in October 2007; the progress to date; when it is envisaged that the formal contract will have been completed; if she will confirm that the completion date for the opening of the school in September 2009 is still on target; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11927/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The schools referred to by the Deputy are two of four schools that make up the First Bundle of the Department's current Public Private Partnership Programme.

This bundle consists of two new schools in Portlaoise, Co. Laois and two new schools in Co. Offaly. The two schools in Portlaoise will be built on the one site — St. Mary's CBS, and Scoil Chríost Rí and the two schools in Co. Offaly comprise of a new community school and a new community college.

Macquarie Partnership for Ireland (MPFI) were selected as the preferred tenderer for the provision of this Bundle in October 2007. Negotiations between the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA), who are responsible for the procurement of the schools, and MPFI have been ongoing since that date are now well advanced. Until these negotiations are complete and the formal contract signed it will not be possible to provide a final date for the completion of construction for these schools.

At this point in the negotiations I can inform to the Deputy that assuming a successful conclusion to these negotiations MPFI will be in a position to submit planning applications for all four schools to the relevant local authorities, and the contract will be ready for signing on receipt of planning permission. Subject to the outcome of the planning process with the relevant authorities, construction of the four schools is expected to start in the summer and it is anticipated that they will be available before the end of 2009.