School projects dropped, says Dempsey

SCHOOL projects promised by the Government before the general election were dropped after it emerged that there would not be enough money to finish the job, Education Minister Noel Dempsey conceded yesterday.

The Government’s school building project has been dogged by controversy since the election as schools that received written guarantees from Fianna Fáil ministers and TDs found the work was not proceeding.

Amid allegations of broken promises, documents have emerged from the Department of Education revealing that then Minister for Education Michael Woods instructed officials not to release any bad news in the run-up to the general election.