The two counties in which the Government is contesting next month's by-elections are among those to have benefited most from the latest €46 million announcement of schools to be allocated funding for building and modernisation works.
Last year the Department of Education and Science sanctioned four schools in Meath for approval under the devolved and temporary school building initiatives, while seven schools in Kildare were approved under these two schemes.
However, the list of schools to be allocated funding under these schemes in 2005, announced yesterday by the Minister for Education and Science, Ms Hanafin, includes 15 schools in Meath.
A further 13 are located in Kildare, although only three are situated in the Kildare North by-election constituency.
Ms Hanafin yesterday rejected any suggestion that the decision to allocate funding to schools in the two by-election counties was linked to the forthcoming poll.
A spokeswoman pointed out that counties such as Louth had also received significant funding increases for school-building projects when compared with the previous year. Different counties had different demographics so it was "logical" that some would do well in this scheme.
"This is one particular scheme which is based on needs and suitability," she said.
But the revelation that schools in the two key by-election areas had received a significant boost in funding was branded as "suspicious" by the Labour Party.
"There is no doubt that these schools are needed . . . but I would just be concerned in the context of a by-election that the ones getting the money actually do get it," its spokeswoman on education, Ms Jan O'Sullivan, said. "I'm delighted for the schools. But they certainly would have waited a lot longer if it hadn't been for the by-election."
A total of 193 primary and post-primary schools are to be allocated funding to undertake projects such as extensions and refurbishments this year. This includes eight new schools. A further 120 are to be given approval to rent temporary premises.
In a move welcomed by the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, 98 primary schools will receive €28 million in funding this year under the small and rural schools initiative. But it warned that when projects are devolved to local level, an "unfair burden" of the work will fall on principal teachers, who are expected to oversee the project.