Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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245. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the reduced capital budget for 2020 and the impact this will have on planned school building and renovation works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42288/19]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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Capital planning and budgeting is undertaken on a multi-annual basis. Under Project Ireland 2040, the education sector will receive a total of approximately €12 billion over the period 2018-2027. This includes some €8.8 billion for the schools sector and €2.2 billion for higher education infrastructure. The specific allocations in each area are closely monitored and may be adjusted from year to year to take account of project progress and other factors.

The allocation for my Department's School Buildings programme in 2020 is broadly in line with the allocation for 2019. In 2019 the allocation was €622m. The allocation envisaged for 2020 is €620m. The allocation for schools will support circa 60 new school building projects going to construction in 2020 delivering in excess of 30,000 school places (permanent additional and replacement places). This is in addition to in excess of 40 existing projects which are currently in construction and being progressed through 2020 delivering up to 25,000 school places.

This allocation will also include a provision for a Summer Works Scheme, details of which will be announced later in 2019

In addition, the Minor Works Grant is due to be paid to all primary schools either in December or at the latest early January 2020.

Finally, demographics at primary level have increased over the last decade but have now peaked and are starting to reduce. This will start to reduce some of the pressures on the capital budget.