Cutbacks halt 26 school builds - FG

Fine Gael today claimed 26 school-building projects are stalled due to a lack of financing.

Fine Gael Education spokesman Brian Hayes called for action from new Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe and the Department, which he accused of leaving the schools “out in the cold” after initially approving the building projects.

“From information I have obtained from the Department it is clear that a new era of cutbacks is well and truly upon us. Twenty-six much needed school projects in 18 counties are stuck on a list while the Department of Education refuses to give them the green light,” Mr Hayes said.

“It must be highlighted that these projects represent major works in terms of the school building programme and were expected to be part of the Minister’s announcement in February of this year.”

Urging the Minister to say when the 26 schools can begin building, the Fine Gael TD said not giving them a project starting point “represents atrocious management on the part of the Department of Education and Science”.

He also condemned the School Building Programme under the previous minister as a “political slush fund”.

In February, the then-minister for education, Mary Hanafin, announced the first phase of the 2008 large-scale building projects programme.

Under this, there were to be 13 new schools and two extensions at primary level, two new schools and one extension at post-primary level, and a further 30 new primary schools in rapidly developing areas, with these planned to be in place by next September.

Ms Hanafin also said that 254 projects announced that had not yet started construction should position themselves to begin building in 2008.

Last month, however, the INTO claimed the school-building programme was lurching towards crisis, with hundreds of school awaiting new accommodation or renovation.

John Carr, general secretary of the INTO, said the public "should not be deluded into thinking that significant progress was being made with the school building programme. The list of buildings needing substantial renovation, repair and extension continues to grow as does the waiting time for work to begin."