Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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211. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the total number of schools throughout the country likely to benefit from refurbishment or replacement in the coming year; the extent to which adequate budgetary provisions have been made in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28685/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Six Year Construction Programme for the period 2016 to 2021, announced in November 2015, priorities new building projects and major extensions, including special schools, in areas where significant demographic need has been established.

In addition, the Programme prioritises projects that in addition to meeting increases in enrolments, have a major deficit of mainstream accommodation capacity for current enrolments, require major refurbishment and replacement of poor accommodation.

While all major projects in the Programme were included on the basis of educational and demographic needs of the particular school and area, the decision of when exactly each individual school building project can commence on site is based on a number of factors including the stage reached by the project in architectural planning, the level of overall funding available and the other contractual commitments and profiled expenditures extant under the Programme at that time.

On 1st January last, there were 66 major projects under construction. Since the start of this year, 50 more projects have been progressed to construction or authorised to progress through the tender process with a view to starting on site in the coming months. That represents a total of 116 major projects either under construction or progressing to commence construction in 2016.  The contractual commitments in respect of these projects for 2016 carry a significant contractual commitment into 2017.

My Department continues to closely monitor expenditure on existing contractual commitments on an ongoing basis and as funding allows, projects will be considered for progression through the tender process with a view to starting on site as soon as possible.