Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim míle buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach agus leis na haíonna as teacht os comhair an choiste. Bhí an plé a bhí ann go dtí seo an-suimiúil. Is é a chéad cheist atá agam ná ceann faoi Ghaelscoileanna arís. This question is specifically about Gaelscoileanna. Exactly how many are in line for new builds in the Gaeltacht and outside the Gaeltacht? Does the Department have figures in relation to that? Transport is an issue that causes difficulties for students all over but there is a particular issue for people living on islands who do not currently have access to secondary school specifically. It is quite astonishing for a lot of people; they do not realise that some offshore islands do not have access to a secondary school, which means the kids have to leave their parents or a parent has to come from the island and go onto the mainland. It has a serious knock-on effect on the population of an island in terms of people choosing to move back or sometimes people staying on the island in the course of primary school and leaving when the kids go to secondary school. I am aware of this issue because Inishbofin is my constituency. It has been flagged with me numerous times by young families who want to live on the island or are living on the island and finding it difficult. What are the Department's plans for islands that do not have a secondary school building? In other islands, there are other issues in terms of students being in prefabricated buildings rather than in permanent structures. Are there long-term plans in relation to those issues? I am conscious of the fact that it is more expensive to deliver buildings on offshore islands, given all the different constraints. I am interested specifically in that as well.

Mr. Loftus mentioned modern methods of construction, which I am quite interested in. There is the national development plan and a construction sector group was convened by the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform specifically to look at modern methods of construction. It is probably not being utilised to the extent people would like to see it being utilised. In relation to the designing of procurement contracts, does the Department have ideas or is it looking at incentivising the use of modern methods of construction in that process? To date, how many of the Department's projects have used those kinds of methods? I am quite interested in that because if we want market participants to use modern methods of construction more, we will need to seek investment in the area. Regarding planned projects, will the witnesses state what percentage will be covered under public private partnership, PPP, contracts? I will leave it at that for now and see what the witnesses come back with. I am conscious of timing. I might come back with a further contribution.