Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Independent)
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543. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the minor works grant for the school year 2014/2015 will be granted; if she will provide details on the research her Department has undertaken on the effect of the funding cut on schools; if her Department has made any recommendations to schools as to the way they should handle the shortfall in funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37166/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Circular Letter 0062/2013 which was published as the Minor Works Grant for the school year 2013/2014 issued last November states "the grant will only be paid in future years as funding permits". The focus under the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Programme 2012-2016 is on meeting the demand for additional school places. Consequently, there is no funding provided at this time in the 2014 capital allocation for the payment of a Minor Works Grant.

Funds transferred to schools under the Minor Works Grant must be spent on the physical infrastructure of the school or on items of furniture and equipment for educational use including IT related equipment. As the Minor Works Grant may not be used for items of a non-capital nature, it has no role to play in the day-to-day running costs of a primary school such as the payment of electricity and telephone accounts, the purchase of fuel and other current expenses.

I am aware that whenever my Department is in a position to issue a Minor Works Grant (to all primary schools with permanent recognition) that it is welcomed by school communities and management bodies as a valuable contribution towards the cost of maintaining school infrastructure.