McGuinness unveils £107m (€173m) in schools funding

Northern Ireland Education Minister Mr Martin McGuinness announced a £107m (€173m) sterling investment package for state schools today.

The Sinn Féin minister announced his department would spend £54 (€85m)million on 15 schools in need of improvement and that £53m (€86m) of Public Private Partnership money will help seven more schools.

But he warned £500m (€809m) was needed for the neediest schools in Northern Ireland.

Since devolution was set up in 1998, the Department of Education has invested £220m (€356m) into new school buildings.

Among the schools to benefit from the programme will be a new school to replace Hill Croft Special School in Newtownabbey, new premises for La Salle Boy's School in west Belfast and a new school for Drumragh Integrated College in Omagh. Crumlin High School will get a gymnasium.

But UUP education spokesman Mr Danny Kennedy accused Mr McGuinness of distorting cash amounts given to Protestant and Catholic schools.

Mr Kennedy, who is also Stormont Education Committee chairman, accused the minister of deliberately manipulating the figures to "cover his political tracks" to give the impression of even-handedness between the two communities.