Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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140. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there is funding available from his Department for general purpose rooms and PE halls; if not, his plans to offer funding at a future time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30434/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department’s current priority, within the limited funding available, is the provision of essential classroom accommodation in areas where significant demographic need has been established to ensure that each child will have access to a physical school place. The Deputy will therefore appreciate that all applications for capital funding must be considered in the context of the existing challenging financial circumstances where funding must be prioritised for this purpose and to provide mainstream classroom accommodation where additional teachers are being appointed.

To divert funding which would otherwise be used to provide much needed classroom accommodation for GP rooms would mean insufficient funding being available to provide classroom accommodation for a growing population.  

In this regard, the delivery of new schools together with extension projects to meet future demand will be the main focus of the Department's budget for the coming years.