Extra funds to address educational and social disadvantage

THE bulk of an extra €58 million allocated by the Government to education will go towards school building work and addressing disadvantage.

Education Minister Mary Hanafin announced yesterday she will be spending €25m of the money on the school building and modernisation programme, with particular emphasis on facilities for science and technology subjects.

The extra funding was revealed in the Department of Finance’s revised public service spending estimates, bringing Ms Hanafin’s total 2006 budget to almost €7.9 billion, 10% more than last year.