Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

At times, there does not appear to be a continued focus on the various stages. Other Deputies have raised issues in their constituencies. I represent Dún Laoghaire and I am aware of a particular school which has been in prefabricated units on-site since 2005. The State pays for the upkeep and maintenance of the prefabs annually. About three years ago, one of the prefabs was condemned. We thought that was wonderful because the prefabs would be moved, but instead the State purchased or rented another prefab. The school has been on this temporary site for about 27 years, although the Department owns it. Mr. Loftus outlined five stages, which sound quite simple, but I know it is complex. The Department probably selects land owned by the council or State land first and then if that is not available, it seeks to acquire land, if possible. I am sure Mr. Loftus will agree that 27 years is a long time to spend in prefabs. It has an impact on the school, although not on the quality of education, which is excellent. It has an impact when people visit it. When will the prefabs be replaced or when will there be a permanent building? I will come back to that in a second.

The Department had capital expenditure of €4.1 billion in 2021. Some €165 million was spent on temporary accommodation, according to the briefing note supplied to us. Some €29.4 million was spent on renting temporary accommodation. Does €165 million include the €29.4 million or is that in addition to it? I know those are not all prefabs and that temporary accommodation could include other things. Do the witnesses have a figure for how much the Department spent on prefabricated units in the period we are discussing, which is 2021? Does the €165 million for temporary accommodation include the €29.4 million for temporary rental accommodation?