Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

The priority must be to ensure there is space for the children. Prefabs are not a long-term solution. However, a school or an extra classroom cannot be built between now and September. This is why prefabs are provided in ensuring places for children.

Another reason for so much temporary accommodation is the increase in the number of primary teachers from 22,095 in September 2000 to 25,959. With these extra teachers, including resource and learning support teachers, applications to the Department for extra space to accommodate them have risen.

The Deputy referred to Naas as a developing area. Lucan, Ratoath and Kinnegad are also developing areas that have contributed to increased demand for temporary accommodation. There are also start-up schools awaiting building programmes. In the last four years, ten new gaelscoileanna and 16 Educate Together schools have been established. Many of them are in temporary accommodation awaiting new school buildings.

Our main aim is to ensure children do not spend too long in temporary accommodation. Schemes such as the permanent initiative and giving schools the funds to build extra classrooms are working successfully. Securing sites for the provision of full schools will alleviate this in the future. Unfortunately, we will not be able to say there will never be prefabs because there must be place to accommodate children.

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