Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

We need greater transparency in regard to the schools building programme. Some 75% of all representations to the Department of Education and Skills, under various Ministers, have been from school boards, school committees, worried parents and others as to where they are in the queue. It is my intention to provide more transparency and clarity so people know what is happening. The current situation is not satisfactory. We are now in a position to build more with less because tender prices have dropped significantly, by some 40%. In other words, with a smaller capital programme we can get good outturns in terms of new buildings and essential repairs. The tragedy is that we still have 50,000 young people in prefabricated buildings, with some schools consisting entirely of such buildings. Too many children go through their entire primary school experience in that environment at a time when there are empty housing estates throughout the State, a legacy of a wasted past. That issue will have to be reviewed.

In regard to the vocational education committees, I will build on the work of my predecessors. The rationalisation of 33 VECs down to 16 is the starting point, and I do not propose to make any significant changes in this regard. Of the 33 VECs, some are very large and some very small, overseeing perhaps one or two post-primary schools and an adult education service. Some of these could be combined in an effective way, and there will be consultations on that before I take action. I have met with the Irish Vocational Education Association and have requested that it indicate whether it has an alternative variation which nevertheless has regard to the necessity to obtain annual savings on a recurring basis of €3 million within the framework of 16 or so VECs.

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