Coughlan vows to spend €102m by end of year [Independent.ie]
- Published: 10 November 2010
EDUCATION Minister Mary Coughlan last night pledged to spend her budget for school building before the end of the year -- amid fears unused funds may be handed back to the Exchequer.
Ms Coughlan insisted "timing" issues and project delays had led to her department's failure to spend €102m of its €465m capital expenditure budget.
But speaking in the Dail, she insisted the outstanding funds would be spent before the end of 2010.
The controversy over the unused allocation comes as students endure crumbling school buildings with poor facilities around the country.
Speaking in the Dail, Fine Gael's John O'Mahony insisted it was unacceptable the money had not been spent, especially when the Dail routinely heard cutbacks were on the way.
He said the minister had the money but would not spend it -- saying this was the second year in a row the department had underspent its allocation.
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