Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Independent)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the metrics used in choosing the schools to be included in the recently announced school building programme; if a ranking of schools according to these metrics was created as part of the process of designing the programme; if so, if the placing of schools in the announced programme followed exactly their placing in this ranking; and if not, the criteria or reasons for the displacement of some school or schools from their place in the ranking. [16036/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Deputy will be aware of the demographic challenges that we are facing. 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.

As such enrolment increases are not uniformly distributed nationally, my Department has carried out a study of the country using data from the Central Statistics Office, the General Register Office and the Department of Social Protection in addition to recent schools' enrolment data to identify the areas it is projected that there will be significant enrolment increases.

The Deputy may be aware that currently all applications received nationally for large scale capital funding are assessed against published prioritisation criteria which were formulated following consultation with the Education Partners. Under the criteria, each project is assigned an appropriate Band Rating which reflects the type of works required and the urgency attaching to them. Details of the criteria concerned are published on my Department's website.

However for purposes of the 5 Year Plan, new school building projects as well as major extensions have been identified and prioritised on the basis of meeting demographic needs in areas where such needs have been identified. Other criteria that were taken into account included factors such as whether projects, already in the Department's architectural process, were technically ready to proceed to tender and construction in the duration of the Plan.

I also wish to advise the Deputy that where an immediate enrolment need in an area has been identified e.g. the appointment of an additional teacher and where school's existing accommodation cannot provide for this growth, the Department will be prepared to consider applications by schools for capital funding for additional classrooms mainly on a devolved basis.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 112: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide details of all the schools in County Donegal who have applied for capital works to be carried out or who have applications with his Department for capital works to be carried out; the types of capital works and the dates of the application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16050/12]