Capital Developments: Economic Appraisal

Education – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 2:45 pm on 27 November 2000.

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Photo of Eddie McGrady Eddie McGrady Social Democratic and Labour Party 2:45, 27 November 2000

5. asked the Minister of Education if he will outline the number of economic appraisals currently being undertaken by his Department in respect of capital developments, and those planned for the next financial year.

(AQO 351/00)

Photo of Martin McGuinness Martin McGuinness Sinn Féin

The Department of Education carries out economic appraisals directly on behalf of the maintained, voluntary grammar, integrated and Irish- medium sectors. The Department is currently working on 42 appraisals in those sectors. It also considers and approves appraisals carried out by education and library boards, and there are 38 of those at present. Work on some of the appraisals will continue through to the next financial year, when further new appraisals will be added to the programme.

Photo of Eddie McGrady Eddie McGrady Social Democratic and Labour Party

I thank the Minister for his reply to my question and his reply to question 2 indicating that next year there will be a new allocation formula for assessment. Will he address the problem of Moneydarragh Primary School at Annalong? He is aware that that excellent school, with an increasing roll, has been long starved of funding and has not yet received any favourable response from the Department. He is also aware that a decision must be made quickly, because of local land circumstances. At another level, his Department has already accepted the need, as a matter of some urgency, for an extension to and refurbishment of the Assumption Grammar School in Ballynahinch. Can that also be given some priority? Neither of those schemes can afford to wait until the review process next year, however welcome that is.

Photo of Martin McGuinness Martin McGuinness Sinn Féin

The Department’s appraisal work programme for the current financial year is fully committed. It will, however, consider the inclusion of the Moneydarragh Primary School project in its programme of appraisals for 2001-02, depending on other competing priorities.

I understand the case made by Mr McGrady in relation to Assumption Grammar School, but we all know that throughout the North there are many competing priorities for the schools capital building programme. We will certainly consider Assumption Grammar School in the school capital building programme next year, but that will obviously depend on the resources available.

If people have been listening to the radio and watching the television news recently, they will know that there are many demands on our finances for the school capital building programme throughout the North. When a decision is taken, it will be solely on the basis of educational need, but with a view towards fitting in as many urgent cases as we can. Since the establishment of the Executive, my views on the poor state of our school stock and the need to improve it have gone on record. People know the quantity of money that is required to do that. We can do only a certain amount in any given year, but early next year we will announce the school capital building programme, and we will attempt to facilitate as many people as possible in the light of the limited resources available to us.