216 Deputy Mary O’Rourke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills when she will be able to give the go ahead for a new second level school (details supplied) in County Westmeath in view of the fact that it is a long process; and when can this process commence. [33692/10]

I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has made an application to my Department for large scale capital funding to construct a new school on a greenfield site. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a Band 2 rating.

There are four band ratings under the prioritisation criteria, each of which describes the extent of accommodation required and the urgency attaching to it. Band 1 is the highest priority rating and Band 4 is the lowest. Documents explaining the band rating system are also available on my Department's website.

Information in respect of the current school building programme along with all assessed applications for major capital works, including this project, is available on the Department's website at www.education.ie.

The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered in the context of the Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in light of current competing demands on the capital budget of the Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of the project at this time.