Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

A further innovation in recent years has been the introduction of a new model for public private partnerships in school provision. In parallel to the conventional approach on the delivery of major capital works in schools, my Department procured five post-primary schools through the PPP arrangements envisaged in the national development plan.

Similar to design and build contracts, the main benefit of PPP projects is the better transfer of risks regarding time or cost overruns to the private sector rather than leaving the Exchequer open to the potential for additional costs on projects. In addition, the financing element of PPPs means the capital and operation costs of the project are spread over a period of approximately 25 years.

Drawing on the experience gained from the first pilot education PPP in Ireland, l announced plans last year to provide 23 new post-primary schools and four new primary schools under a major expansion of the Government's PPP programme from 2006 to 2009. Under a new initiative, a number of primary school building projects are to be delivered using that model in a campus-sharing context with a new post-primary school. The first school bundle under this programme will commence shortly.

As I detailed, a great many improvements in how we deliver school building projects have taken place in recent years. Together with unprecedented investment, these innovations have enabled an unprecedented level of progress to be made in modernising our school buildings. Naturally, as I stated at the outset, modernising the facilities in all our 3,200 primary schools and approximately 750 second level schools is no easy task, given the historical legacy of under-investment in this area. However, most schools in the country recognise we are getting there.

I mentioned earlier that when we came into office, forward planning for school provision was virtually non-existent. I would like to set out how much that too has changed over the past few years. My Department recently adopted an area based approach to school planning where, through a public consultation process involving all interested parties, a blueprint for schools' development in an area for a timeframe of approximately ten years is set out. The areas covered in the pilot phase of this new approach to school planning include the rapidly developing areas of north Dublin, south Louth, east Meath and the N4-M4 corridor running from Leixlip to Kilbeggan, including all rapidly developing towns and villages in that belt.

This approach is on top of the normal planning procedures undertaken in my Department. The process of assessing the need for new or additional educational facilities at primary or post-primary level in any given area entails consideration of all relevant factors, including enrolment, demographic trends, housing developments and the capacity of existing schools to meet the demand for places.

Liaison with existing schools is an important part of the process also, as the school authorities usually alert my Department where, in their view, the need for additional accommodation is anticipated. In this way, every effort is made to ensure there is adequate existing provision, or that timely arrangements are made to extend capacity or provide new infrastructure where necessary.

However, a new pattern of development should also be noted where, unlike as Deputy Burton stated, a five year gap exists before——

See this speech in context