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“Funding of more than €40 million for Summer Works projects in 2019 will see major improvements in primary and post-primary schools across the country,” says Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh T.D.

Announcing the list of successful applicants the Minister said: “I am delighted to be able to make such a substantial amount of money available to benefit 307 schools nationwide.”

Minister McHugh made the announcement as he visited Scoil Cholmcille, Letterkenny, Abbey Vocational and Gaelscoil na gCeithre Maistrí in Donegal.

“This €40 million investment secures money for schools to upgrade windows, meet curricular requirements and make structural improvements to buildings,” the Minister said.

“The work will be carried out in schools mainly over the summer months, so the disruption to students, teachers and other staff will be kept to a minimum.

“We have also made sure that schools are getting the notification earlier to try to give principals and boards of management a better lead in time to plan and then deliver their summer works.”

Some 234 of the schools which will benefit from this round of funding are primary schools, while 73 are post-primary schools.

Projects under the 2019 Summer Works Scheme relate to applications submitted by schools in categories 7, 8 and 9 under the multi-annual scheme announced in 2015.

The remaining 347 applications under Category 10, which relates to external works such as upgrade and resurfacing of yards and car parking, have an estimated costing of more than €30 million. Given the scale of costs involved more detailed analysis of these applications is required to determine the pathway forward. It is intended to undertake this analysis in 2019 with a view to enabling approved applications proceed in 2020.

“The capacity of schools to take responsibility for delivering small and medium-scale projects is a key component of the Summer Works Scheme” , Minister McHugh said.

“I am confident that school authorities will be able to achieve best value for money on prices for jobs and I’m urging schools to ensure that they get the maximum benefit for their schools,” the Minister said.

“The Government’s Project Ireland 2040 plan included a major package of investment in education for the next decade with the school building budget increasing by 70 per cent.

“This investment will provide for the continued increase in demographics while also allowing for a greater focus on refurbishment and upgrading of existing schools.

“The €40 million Summer Works Scheme demonstrates that the Government is continuing to prioritise capital funding for school buildings which will enhance the learning and working environment for pupils and teachers.

“I’m also committed to a new Summer Works Scheme which will open for applications in early 2019 for projects to be delivered from summer 2020.

“All schools approved for the 2019 Summer Works Scheme will be notified via the Department’s Esinet portal later today with further details and instructions on how to proceed.

“This year, almost €540 million will be invested in school building infrastructure under the school building and modernisation programme.”

Note to Editors

A full list of the successful schools is available here: https://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/Building-Works/Summer-Works/summer-works-scheme-list-of-approved-schools-2019.pdf

The Summer Works Scheme (SWS) is designed to allow schools to carry out small and medium scale building works that will improve and upgrade existing school buildings. This scheme is additional to other capital funding schemes that are operated by the Department of Education and Skills such as the additional accommodation scheme, Emergency Works scheme i.e. for projects of such urgency that they would prevent some or all of the school from opening, and Minor Works schemes. The current SWS was announced in late 2015 and is being applied on a multi-annual basis.

Applications from over 1,650 schools were received in response to a call for proposals in November 2015 from schools under the multi-annual SWS (2016 and 2017).

Circular Letter (0055/2015) governing the scheme, which may be accessed on the Department’s website, states that applications would be prioritised in the following categories:

Priority/Category 1: Gas Works
Priority/Category 2: Electrical Works
Priority/Category 3: Mechanical works
Priority/Category 4: Projects to facilitate inclusion and access for special needs pupils are now funded under the Emergency Works scheme
Priority/Category 5: Toilet facilities
Priority/Category 6: Roof works
Priority/Category 7: Window projects
Priority/Category 8: Curricular requirement projects
Priority/Category 9: Other structural improvements
Priority/Category 10: External environment projects

Following this announcement, in the region of €117 million will have been approved in respect of 942 schools in respect of Categories 1 to 9. (1,304 school applications were received in respect of these categories.)

A total of 635 projects, with a total projected expenditure of almost €77 million, were approved in respect of Categories 1 to 6 (Gas improvement works, upgrade to Electrical, Mechanical and Toilet facilities and Roof project) and are published on the Department's website, www.education.ie.