asked the Minister for Education if the criteria on which sports halls facilities are allocated to post-primary schools will be made available in the Oireachtas Library.

9.

asked the Minister for Education the order of priority in which post-primary schools to be given sports halls this year have been ranked.

10.

asked the Minister for Education the criteria being applied to determine the allocation of sports halls to post-primary schools this year.

11.

asked the Minister for Education the intervals at which the priority list for post-primary schools seeking sports halls will be revised; and if the same criteria will apply at the date of each revision.

With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 11, inclusive, together.

Criteria for the selection of the schools to be provided with physical education facilities and ranking them in order of priority have not been formalised in the manner implied in the question from the Deputy. Accordingly, the matter of making a document containing such criteria available in the Oireachtas Library does not arise.

I may add, however, for information, that, in general, the following considerations are taken into account in connection with the selection of the schools in question: (i) whether construction work was currently in progress on a new school; (ii) size of school; (iii) extent of existing PE facilities; (iv) degree of community need; (v) geographical distribution of halls; (vi) site requirements; (vii) time of application (where application for a hall has been made); (viii) possibility of sharing with other school or community interests or of community or local authority financial support.

Will the Minister tell the House how, if the criteria have not been formalised, he was able to decide which schools should get them and which schools would not in a situation in which there was keen competition from a large number of schools for the allocation of these facilities?

By considering the factors I have already mentioned, by balancing one against the other and giving them deep consideration.

Will the Minister not accept that, in the light of his unwillingness or inability to supply us with the actual criteria and the rank order of the schools based on such a criteria, he is laying himself open to the accusation that the chief consideration involved was political and not any of the ones he has mentioned?

That is argument.

I would reject that completely. My business is education.

The Minister has not given us any reason why we should think otherwise.

I beg the Deputy's pardon. I have given the Deputy all the reasons why he should think otherwise. and he knows that.

12.