Schools budget may be spent on pensions

TÁNAISTE Mary Coughlan may have to dip into the unspent school building budget of €331 million to fund pensions for a rising numbers of retiring teachers, forcing thousands of pupils to wait even longer for modern classrooms.

The Education Minister was criticised last week after it emerged that her department only spent barely over half its €721m capital budget for 2010 up to the end of October, as more than 1,200 schools have projects awaiting funding.

The primary school building budget is €49m behind target, having been €3m ahead of budget up to the end of June.