Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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107. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the grants for school improvements which are made available to school boards on an annual basis; the reason in some cases schools are uncertain with regard to the continuation of a scheme until late in the school year; if he will inform schools at the start of a school year regarding such grants and when they will be paid; the cost of the minor works grant; and if it will be paid annually to schools as a matter of policy. [25182/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The conditions governing the Grant Scheme for Minor Works to Primary School properties are outlined in Circular Letter 0062/2013. The grant must be used on the physical infrastructure of the school or on items of furniture and equipment for educational use including IT related equipment.

The Circular Letter states that the grant will only be paid in future years as funding permits. Consequently, it is advisable that schools do not commence any capital works until the Minor Works Grant is lodged to their bank account. The grant which first came into operation in 1997 has issued in all school years since then with the exception of the 2012/2013 school year.

My Department’s 2017 capital allocation for the school sector funds the Large Scale Projects Programme, the Additional Accommodation Scheme, Site Acquisitions, the Emergency Works Scheme, the Summer Works Scheme, furniture and equipment grants and other smaller programmes.  The overall 2017 capital position, and in particular expenditure levels, will be assessed in the late autumn. Resulting from this exercise the issue or otherwise of the 2017/2018 Minor Works Grant at that time will be determined.

When the Minor Works Grant was issued for the 2016/2017 school year last November, the total cost of the grant amounted to €27.8m

School improvements are also delivered under the Summer Works Scheme and the Emergency Works Scheme but these are application based and only involve certain schools in any given year.