Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive reply. I shall go through some of the detail in due course and table supplementary questions.

In the light of this welcome departure in terms of policy, which I support, and speaking in a broader context, is the Department aware of the massive demographic cohort of new pupils coming through? The Central Statistics Office predicts an increase of as much as 20% within the next seven to ten years, depending on circumstances. The problem has not gone away, therefore. What steps is the Minister taking to ensure that schools can have permanent buildings, now that the building industry has a massive capacity to respond very quickly? There would be three solutions: employment and tax revenue for the State and for those lucky enough to get back to work; decent accommodation for the pupils involved; and permanent building structures rather than the temporary structures that exist. For example, St. Oliver Plunkett's in Malahide is an absolute disgrace.

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