Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 439: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the status of a project in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39972/09]

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 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.

I met a delegation from the school earlier this year. Since then the school authority has applied to have the band rating assigned to their project revised. Officials in my Department are considering this proposal at present and will be in contact with the school authorities shortly in this regard.

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.