Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 467: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason a school (details supplied) in County Tipperary will have its year of application for a school building project listed as 2003 when that this school has documentation pertaining to its application for that project in 1998; if this discrepancy relating to the original year will affect the priority level of the project; the details of the case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40313/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The school to which the Deputy refers was sanctioned a major restoration and refurbishment project which was completed in late 2002, at a cost of €1.08 million. The school subsequently made an application for a GP Room. The school has stated that the GP Room is its main accommodation deficit following the completion of its major project in 2002. Progression through the various stages of planning, design and construction is based on the priority attaching to an individual projects, rather than on the date of application. The published prioritisation criteria 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 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.