Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This issue comes about when we consider outputs for the money spent. We accept the Department of Education and Skills has got more money than in previous years but it has got less for its money. It is a complex area and there seem to be a number of drivers for such changes. Famously, there is the issue of land costs, for example, the €28 million paid for Harold's Cross dog track, the scale of schools being built, the areas in which they are being built - all of which relates to the value of land - the change in the nature of schools, the way in which schools are being built and construction inflation. There are also the costs that have been run up due to the Western Building Systems, WBS, scandal, on which I presume the Department has had to pay something, even though it has not yet achieved anything in court against WBS.

I raise this because it is up to us to ensure the Department is getting best value for money and that the money it is spending and the taxpayer is providing is achieving results. I am worried it is actually getting fewer school places this year. The Minister talked about 48 PE halls and 200 science labs but how many of them are not part of large-scale building works? When the Minister calls out the figures, the impression is given that this is 48 new PE halls or 200 science labs that people could somehow apply for. How many of them are stand-alone PE halls or are they all part of large-scale building projects, which would mean the Minister is double counting?

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