Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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172. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application made by a primary school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17482/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, my Department recently approved funding to the school in question to construct an additional classroom to accommodate the appointment of a third teacher. While the school's application did not include a request for the accommodation referred to in the details supplied by the Deputy, my Department considers that the school has sufficient accommodation for this purpose, including access to a multi-purpose room.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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173. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application for funding (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17484/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, the school in question submitted an application to my Department, for capital funding for improved school accommodation, including prefab replacement. The application was considered in the context of the very significant challenges facing my Department in prioritising available capital funding for essential mainstream classrooms to meet the demand for extra school places and in cases where additional teachers have been appointed. The school has not been sanctioned an additional teaching post and on that basis, my Department was not in a position to provide grant to the school. My Department wrote to the school last December explaining the position.

With regard to prefab replacement, over the lifetime of my Department's Capital Programme, it is my intention to replace all purchased temporary accommodation with permanent accommodation, where the need is established. To enable this development, my Department will be carrying out an assessment of the number of prefabs being used in all schools, including the school to which the Deputy refers, to deliver the curriculum. This will also determine whether or not individual prefabs need to be replaced in the context of the long-term accommodation needs of each individual school. When completed, this assessment will quantify the number of prefabs to be replaced.