Government pays out to schools on day of anger

MORE THAN 120 schools were added yesterday to the Government’s building programme as it came under fire for failing to deliver dozens of similar projects promised before last year’s general election.

A Department of Education spokesperson said the timing of the updated building programme, delivering €15 million worth of refurbishment works to dilapidated schools, was purely coincidental.

The unexpected announcement came as opposition parties were outraged by revelations that then Education Minister Michael Woods was adding schools to the programme early last year, weeks before he had secured the necessary funding.

They claimed it was further evidence of how Fianna Fáil bought votes with promises they went on to break after being returned to Government.

The extra schools to be included in the €343m building programme include 93 primary schools and eight second-level schools. Of these, 73 are in line for temporary accommodation such as prefabs during the summer, while 28 are to undergo refurbishment, roofing, structural repairs and other work.

The cost of the additional works is believed to be around €15m but is taken from a contingency fund within the budget announced in January, rather than being a new spending announcement. “The updated programme details were due to be published around now anyway, these allocations are being made in time for schools to do the works during the summer,” the spokeswoman said.

The announcement came as it emerged from documents released to Fine Gael that Mr Dempsey’s predecessor, Mr Woods, added a number of school projects to last year’s building programme ahead of the May election. But despite an extra €19m allocated a month before the election, many of the projects did not proceed.

The Department of Education also announced a pilot project to give 20 primary schools funding for prefabs but with the option of using the money for permanent accommodation if possible. The Irish National Teachers Organisation said they supported such an initiative as long as the permanent accommodation costs can be met with the money provided.

“The increased temporary accommodation will ensure the schools concerned can meet enrolment and special educational needs. However, calls to our offices indicate much more than 70 schools will need extra accommodation and this must be provided,” INTO general secretary John Carr said.

Fine Gael education spokesperson Olwyn Enright said the updated capital programme would do little to address the schools crisis and it was time the multi-annual school building programme promised in the Programme for Government was implemented.