Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 233: To ask the Minister for Education and Science further to Question No. 429 of 26 May 2009, the status regarding an application by a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39845/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, the school to which he 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 on the current school building programme, along with all assessed applications for major capital works, including the project in question, is available on my Department's website, 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. A delegation from the school met with officials of my Department earlier this year and presented a proposal to finance the replacement of prefabricated buildings over a 20-year period. This proposal is being considered. The progression of all large-scale building projects, including this project, from 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.