Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The evidence is there. We have increased our capital budgets by 56% since 2013. In the mid-term review I secured an additional commitment of more than €200 million for 2019 to 2021. In the long-term capital programme we have €8.4 billion assigned to the school building programme. There is no doubt during the past seven or eight years there has been a unique expansion at both primary and secondary level, with an additional 50,000 to 60,000 pupils at primary level and an additional 50,000 pupils at second level. That has put a strain on capital budgets. As the Deputy said, it has meant there has been a squeeze in other areas where we would have liked to have been making capital provision, but we have to commit to the priority of making sure there are school places for everyone who is attending. That has been a priority. It has put pressure on us but, nonetheless, we have met all those requirements with a 120,000 additional school places being provided.

We have a system that ensures that every euro allocated to us is spent effectively. We have been very experimental in our approach using the NDFA, the Office of Public Works, the ETBs and rapid build to ensure the approach we take is flexible and effective. The Department building unit has done a good job. I know the Deputy is critical of its planning but that planning process has ensured that in recent years 61 additional new schools have opened.

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