Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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Question 154: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding an application for building works in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Tipperary and when a decision will issue. [10676/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers made an application to my Department recently to construct a G.P. room/PE Hall, which was rejected as this school had already submitted an application for large scale capital funding for a project which included the construction of a G.P. Room. That application was assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a band 2.4 rating, reflecting the fact that the deficit in mainstream accommodation represents a significant proportion of the schools overall needs.

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.

The Forward Planning Section of my Department has identified 43 priority areas throughout the country where significant additional accommodation will be required at primary and post-primary level in the medium term. Factors considered included population growth, demographic trends, current and projected enrolments, recent and planned housing developments and capacity of existing schools to meet demand for places. The area to which the Deputy refers has not been included on this list.

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. At that point, options to meet the schools needs will be considered further. 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, is now available on my Department's website at www.education.ie.

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.