Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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177. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if officials from his Department will make contact with a school (details supplied) in County Donegal in order to discuss and advise school authorities on the various funding programmes administered by his Department which may be suitable for the purpose of financing a planned school building project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22930/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of a Category 10 application, external environment project, under the Summer Works Scheme (2016-2017) from the school to which he refers.

Nearly 50% of schools have applied for inclusion under the Scheme which reflects a very high demand. Details of successful school applicants in respect of Categories 1 to 6 are published on my Department’s website www.education.ie– Categories 3 to 6 were announced earlier this month.

Assessment of valid projects in further categories may be undertaken by my Department in the event of further funding becoming available. The application from the school in question would therefore be available to be considered in this context in accordance with the terms and conditions of the scheme as outlined in Circular Letter (0055/2015), which may be accessed on my Department’s website.

In the meantime, primary schools also have access to the minor works grant i.e. €5,500 for each primary school plus €18.50 per pupil or €74 per special needs pupil, which all primary schools received last November, that may be utilised to carry out works in full or on a phased basis as that grant permits. It is open to the school in question to consider this option in the context of the external environment projects.