Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 108: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills if there is preparatory work being carried out on a new vocational school in Athenry, County Galway; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that this school has a total of 14 unsuitable prefabs based all over the site; if her further attention has been drawn to the fact that the original school was built to accommodate 350 students and in today's circumstances is very much below standard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40958/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers applied to my Department for large scale capital funding for an extension and refurbishment project. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a Band 2 rating.

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 the Department's website.

The Forward Planning Section of my Department has carried out a study of the country to identify areas where, due to demographic changes, there may be a requirement for significant additional school provision at both primary and post primary levels over the coming years up to and including the school year 2016/17. This study has been conducted using data from the Central Statistics Office, the General Register Office and the Department of Social & Family Affairs in addition to the recent schools' enrolment data. Consideration is currently being given to the means by which emerging needs will be met within areas of growth identified by Forward Planning Section including Athenry.

The progression of all large scale building projects, including the project in question, 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, I am pleased to inform the Deputy that in May of this year I approved a significant devolved grant to the school authority to build 5 x 49 m2 mainstream classrooms to replace some of the existing prefabs at the school.