Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 237: To ask the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 263 of the 11 November 2009, when a decision will issue in respect of a project (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9444/10]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Department is in receipt of an application for major capital funding for the provision of an ASD Unit for the school referred to by the Deputy. The application has been assessed and has been assigned a band 1.2 rating under the prioritisation criteria for large scale projects.

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. As the Deputy will be aware, on 16 February, I announced details of building projects to proceed to appoint design teams this year as part of the school building and modernisation programme. Unfortunately, it was not possible to include the project to which the Deputy refers in this announcement. Therefore, it is unlikely that it will be progressed in 2010.

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 my Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of the project at this time. In the meantime, the school have been provided with temporary accommodation to meet its needs.