Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 90: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his capital budget for the next five years for County Carlow schools and County Kilkenny schools separately. [38819/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Government's Medium Term Infrastructure and Capital Investment Framework published on the 10th of November includes an allocation for education capital of just over €2.2bn over the five years of the plan - an average annual allocation of just over €440m.

Total enrolment in both primary and post-primary schools is expected to grow by almost 70,000 between now and 2018 (over 45,000 at primary level and 25,000 at post primary) and will continue to grow up to at least 2024 at post-primary level. The priority now is to focus on major school projects and smaller projects devolved to schools to meet the demographic demands. The primary aim will be to ensure that every child will have access to a school place.

It is within this context that earlier this year I announced that up to 40 new schools are to be established nationally within the next six years, comprising of twenty new primary schools and twenty new post-primary schools. The current status of all projects on the school building programme including the projects for the areas referred to by the Deputy may be viewed on my Department's website at www.education.ie and this will be updated regularly throughout the year.

I have previously committed to publishing details of the 2012 school building programme this month. Early in the new year, I will publish a five year plan outlining the projects to be constructed in that time.