James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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526. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when she will announce the school summer work scheme in order that boards of management can plan ahead for their improvement works in the summer of 2015. [2563/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Deputy will be aware that my Department's over-riding objective is to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place and that our school system is in a position to cope with increasing pupil numbers. To ensure that this is achieved, the delivery of major school projects to meet significant demographic demand nationally will be the main focus for capital investment in schools in the coming years. In view, therefore, of the need to prioritise available funding for the provision of essential school accommodation to meet this demand, it is not possible for me to advance with a new summer works programme in 2015.

Over 1,600 applications were received under the 2014 Summer Works Scheme. In total, the spending of more than €70 million on the 2014 Summer Works Scheme has been approved to allow over 770 schools undertake improvement works. In that regard, I wish to advise the Deputies that provision has been made in the 2015 allocation, on foot of the budget, for the carryover costs of such improvement works approved in 2014.

Commensurate with the level of funding set aside for the Scheme, applications were assessed on a top down basis in accordance with the prioritisation criteria outlined in the Circular accompanying the Scheme. Unfortunately, due to the scale of demand for funding under the Scheme, it was not possible to grant aid all applications. However, in accordance with the Scheme's Circular, these applications will be retained and will be prioritised for consideration under further rounds of the Summer Works Scheme in the future, subject to availability of funding.