Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 333: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will approve grant aid to a school (details supplied) in County Mayo for the provision of a temporary prefab sited at the school while the current extension is being built; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5790/10]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 334: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will approve an application under the summer works 2010 scheme for a school (details supplied) in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5791/10]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 335: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will include a school (details supplied) in County Mayo in the list of schools to move to early architectural planning for the provision of three new permanent classrooms and refurbishment of the current main building; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5792/10]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 333 to 335, inclusive, together.

I can confirm that my Department is in receipt of an application for funding under the Summer Works Scheme 2010 in respect of the school referred to by the Deputy.

Following an assessment process, projects will be selected for funding from all valid and approved applications on a top down basis in accordance with the prioritisation criteria published with the Scheme. It is my intention to publish a list of successful SWS applicants in the Spring.

This school submitted a capital application for extension and refurbishment in December 2002 which was then amended in October 2005 to apply for a new school building. The Department offered the school a grant under the Small Schools Scheme 2006 which the school declined. The application was subsequently assessed as an application for major capital funding and assigned a band rating of 2.1. 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 the 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, the school applied for temporary accommodation. In early May 2009, the Department approved a devolved grant to facilitate either the purchase of temporary accommodation or the building of an 80m2 permanent structure. It was made clear to the school that this was an all in grant and that it was the responsibility of the school authority to manage costs to ensure delivery of the project within the resources available to it.

The school advised the Department in July 2009 that they were going to build a permanent structure which would not be complete until May 2010 and sought grant aid for additional temporary accommodation in the meantime. The Department noted at the time that the devolved moneys were being used to build a larger extension than that sanctioned i.e. 121m2 to include a new classroom, staff room and link corridor in addition to the installation of a fire alarm system for the existing school building and the extension.

The Department refused the request for additional grant aid for further temporary accommodation and advised the school in early August 2009 to either: a) Use moneys from the all-in-grant of €100,000 to rent a classroom during the construction stage; b) Partition an existing classroom on an interim basis; or c) Buy a prefab which would be available immediately.

The school advised the Department in January 2010 that they had proceeded to install a temporary classroom in August 2009, without prior approval, while the permanent extension was underway and sought assistance with the costs and rental to May 2010. The Department does not pay retrospective funding for accommodation that it has not sanctioned and a letter to this effect has issued to the school authority.