Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, as it gives me an opportunity to outline to the House the progress made in recent years by my Department in reducing the number of prefabricated classrooms in use in both primary and post-primary schools. When in opposition, I raised the fact that approximately 80,000 pupils were in prefabricated classrooms.

The overall policy goal of my Department is to ensure the highest standard of permanent accommodation for all schools. In regard to the number of prefabs being rented in schools, through the prefab replacement initiative, I have provided an opportunity for over 170 schools, out of a total of 4,000 primary and post-primary schools nationally, to replace their prefabs with permanent accommodation. In excess of €42 million has been allocated for this initiative, of which €22.3 million has been paid to date. In the context of a rapidly increasing school population and competing pressure on the capital budget available to my Department, it is still sometimes necessary to make use of temporary accommodation in order to meet the accommodation needs of schools. Where a major project is being delivered at a school that has temporary accommodation, my Department endeavours to replace this temporary accommodation with a permanent structure where the prevailing funding permits and site conditions and circumstances allow.

Since 2008 the practice in the Department has been that where the need for additional accommodation is likely to be for a finite period of less than three years, the school is given approval to rent temporary accommodation. I refer to the closure of a gap of three years, or less. Where the need for additional accommodation is likely to be for a period of more than three years, the school is given grant aid to either build a permanent structure or purchase a prefabricated structure. Of 409 classrooms approved under my Department's additional accommodation scheme, 360 opted for permanent buildings. Following the introduction of this policy in 2008, the numbers of prefabs being rented has reduced to the point where only 38 new rental contracts for prefabricated accommodation at primary level were entered into in 2012. The number of schools receiving grant aid towards the cost of rented accommodation at primary and post-primary level is now in firmly in decline.

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