Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 232: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will support the efforts of County Donegal Vocational Education Committee to secure a site at Buncrana, County Donegal, of adequate dimensions to facilitate a three school campus incorporating schools (details supplied). [21404/12]

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 233: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider re-prioritising the band rating for a school (details supplied) in County Donegal for their proposed building project; and if he will acknowledge that their existing temporary facilities are completely inadequate. [21405/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 232 and 233 together.

As outlined in the Five Year Plan, the delivery of major school projects required to meet demographic demand will be the main focus for capital investment in the coming years. Due to the financial constraints imposed by the need to prioritise available funding to meet future demographic demands, it has not been possible to advance all applications for capital funding concurrently. The Deputy will appreciate that the primary aim at the core of the Five Year Plan, is to ensure that every child will have access to a physical school place. This announcement represents major advances in how the school building programme is publicised, and will provide certainty to patrons and school communities concerning the major school building projects that my Department is in a position to progress.

The band rating for the school concerned, referred to by the Deputy, is in line with the Amended Criteria for Prioritising Large Scale Projects that was devised following consultation with the Education Partners and is available on the Department's website, www.education.ie. My Department does not propose to adjust this band rating.

In relation to the proposed Campus Development, there has been ongoing contact with Donegal VEC and Donegal County Council in relation to identifying a suitable site in the Buncrana area for a Campus Development. A number of potential sites that were identified to date have been deemed unsuitable. The Department will continue to engage with the relevant stakeholders in relation to identifying a suitable site and we understand that there may be moves to zone suitable land as part of the Development Plan process in Donegal. The acquisition of a site will be considered in the context of the capital budget available to the Department for school buildings generally.