I wish to share time with my colleague, Deputy Hoctor.

This is a longstanding issue in regard to the provision of a PE sports hall at Scoil Ruain, Killenaule, County Tipperary. I was present in 2004, as was Deputy Hoctor and many other public representatives, when the then Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, announced that this project would go ahead. This project is on the books since 1999, if not before. A number of chief executive officers, including Mr. Pat Moroney and Ms Fionuala McGeever, have worked on it with their dedicated VEC colleagues. I compliment them and their staff on the VEC and, above all, the staff and principal in the school, Ms Colette Treacy, and her management, the parents council and so on. I also thank them for their patience and forbearance. However, patience always wears thin. This excellent sporting school has 345 pupils with a proud history and we were made all the more proud this year with our achievements on the playing field.

This facility is badly needed. It would cost approximately €1 million and the promise must be honoured. Deputy Hoctor and I are in negotiations with the Ministers for Education and Skills and Finance and their staff. This project has to be brought over the line because the time for talking is over. The planning permission is about to run out for the second time. It is time we put aside the pious platitudes. We need the go ahead for the building to allow the plans to go to design and construction and to allow the pupils, families and the staff to have a proper facility in which to reach their full sporting and educational potential.

I am pleased to share time with Deputy McGrath. The school originally applied for funding as far back as 1996 for a PE hall and, in February 1998, the Department approved the commencement of the project and architectural planning was initiated. A number of other steps were taken. In 2002, an announcement was made welcoming this project and, again in 2006, as my colleague indicated, yet the hall has still not been approved.

This is an exceptional project in so far as the Department has acknowledged in writing that the documents and file for this project went missing and were mislaid for two years. Only for that, the hall would be in operation by now. However, with that acknowledgement from the Department, there is goodwill to advance the project and I ask the Minister to include it in the capital programme for 2011 in order that the school can proceed to tender and construction.

The cost of such a project has reduced given the current economic climate and excellent value for money could be obtained by progressing with the building now. I appeal to the Minister to consider this project. I acknowledge the fantastic sporting achievements of Scoil Ruain, Killenaule, in the absence of a PE hall. It is reliant on the weather in scheduling physical education activities and games. While the astroturf is an excellent facility, the school and the entire community have no indoor sporting facilities. We ask that the project be advanced without further delay. We acknowledge the patience, determination and resilience of the staff and pupils of the school and the management of the VEC in south Tipperary. I hope the Minister will look on this favourably.

I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills.

I thank the Deputies for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline the Government's strategy for capital investment in school building projects and the current position regarding the building project to provide a sports hall for Scoil Ruain at Killenaule, County Tipperary.

Modernising facilities in our existing building stock as well as the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth is a significant challenge. The Government has shown a consistent determination to improve the condition of our school buildings and to ensure the appropriate facilities are in place to enable the implementation of a broad and balanced curriculum. The allocation of funding for school buildings in 2010 is almost €579 million. This represents a significant investment in the schools building and modernisation programme. This level of funding, at a time of great pressure on public finances, is a sign of the Government's commitment to investing in school infrastructure and it will permit the continuation of the Department's programme of sustained investment in primary and post primary schools.

All applications for capital funding are assessed in the planning and building unit of the Department. The assessment process determines the extent and type of need presenting based on the demographics of an area, proposed housing developments, condition of buildings, site capacity and so on leading to an appropriate accommodation solution. As part of this process, a project is assigned a band rating under published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects. These criteria were devised following consultation with the education partners.

Projects are selected for inclusion in the school building and modernisation programme on the basis of priority of need. This is reflected in the band rating assigned to a project. In other words, a proposed building project moves through the system commensurate with the band rating assigned to it. There are four band ratings overall, of which band 1 is the highest and band 4 the lowest. Band 1 projects, for example, include the provision of buildings where none currently exists, but there is a high demand for pupil places, while a band 4 project makes provision of desirable, but not necessarily urgent or essential facilities, such as a library or new sports hall. The project to provide a sports hall at Scoil Ruain has been assigned a band rating of 4.1 under the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects.

All major projects on the Department's capital programme progress through the same structured process of architectural planning which is divided into clearly defined stages. There are five stages involved in the progression of major school building projects through architectural planning. These stages are set out in the Department's design team procedures and are necessary to comply with Department of Finance guidelines which require that capital projects be fully designed prior to going to tender. They also ensure proper cost management of capital projects and facilitate compliance with statutory and public procurement requirements. The building project for Scoil Ruain is at an advanced stage of architectural planning.

The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will continue to be considered in the context of the Department's multi-annual school building and modernisation programme for 2011 and subsequent years. However, in light of competing demands on the capital budget of the Department it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe, at this time, for the progression of this project to completion of tender and construction.

I have noted the Deputies' comments in this regard. They made a strong case for this project and I will convey their views to the Minister. I thank them again for the opportunity to outline the current position regarding the school building project for Scoil Ruain in Killenaule, County Tipperary.