Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 322: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding the construction of a new school (details supplied) in County Cavan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36180/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has made an application to my Department for large scale capital funding. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a Band 2 rating. Information in respect of the current school building programme along with all assessed applications for major capital works, including the project referred to by the Deputy, are now available on my Department's website at www.education.ie.

The priority attaching to individual projects is determined by published prioritisation criteria, which were formulated following consultation with the Education Partners. There are four band ratings under these criteria, each of which describes the extent of accommodation required and the urgency attaching to it. Band 1 is the highest priority rating and Band 4 is the lowest. Documents explaining the band rating system are also available on my Department's website.

The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from site acquisition and initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation programme. However, in light of current competing demands on the capital budget of the Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of the project at this time. In the meantime, in July of this year, the Planning and Building Unit of my Department gave its approval to the Board of Management to submit proposals to re-locate the school to alternative accommodation. It is awaiting these proposals which will be looked at as sympathetically as possible in the context of the funding available.