Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 98: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of primary schools using prefab class rooms; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6075/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The information sought by the Deputy is not readily available.

While comprehensive information is held on individual school files, the Department does not yet have these details available in a format that provides readily accessible cumulative information on the overall position. It is, however, intended to address this issue as part of a general review of rental policy currently being undertaken.

I assure the Deputy that every effort is made by the Department to keep expenditure on prefabricated accommodation as low as possible.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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If the Minister does not mind, I do not need to hear the rest of the answer.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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If the Deputy does not mind, I am entitled to answer.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Minister is also taking up time.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I am entitled to give my answer.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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If the Deputy and Minister do not mind, I will decide. The Minister has two minutes allocated under Standing Orders in which to make her reply.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Where accommodation is needed at very short notice, however, a temporary solution can be the only option. Such accommodation may also be used where the need is short term, such as when a school requires a temporary building while it is awaiting the completion of construction of permanent facilities. Last year, only 5% of the total investment in school buildings went on the rental of temporary accommodation.

This year, almost €600 million will be invested in school buildings and construction work will take place which is expected to provide permanent accommodation for about 20,000 pupils when complete. In the past, newly-recognised schools have generally had to open in temporary accommodation. I have been anxious to move away from this approach in developing areas and this year we are working hard to open as many new schools as possible in permanent accommodation.

Department officials have been working in partnership with local authority staff to acquire sites needed for new schools next September. Considerable effort has also been invested in pre-planning discussions with a view to ironing out any difficulties that might otherwise have been experienced at planning permission stage. I also held productive meetings with several county managers and their senior planners and appreciate the effort that they have put into working with us on this matter.

Sites for each of the September 2008 projects have been identified and site master-plans have been developed by the technical teams. Our aim, where possible, is to put permanent solutions in place on a phased basis to meet the immediate September 2008 needs with a second phase to follow as required.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

Permanent solutions will be possible where a long-term site has been secured.

A significant amount of building work on the new schools is being done off-site. The successful tenderers for the construction of each individual project have been notified.

Project teams which were recruited from the private sector in October 2007 have been tasked with preparing the planning applications, undertaking the necessary surveys and overseeing the delivery of the schools on each site. To conclude, expenditure on temporary accommodation has tended to represent a very small proportion of the overall investment in school buildings in recent years. The use of prefabs is avoided where possible but sometimes they can be the only feasible option. We are now working to ensure that, where possible, new schools in developing areas will open in permanent accommodation from the start.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Minister's reply is a total and utter disgrace and an insult to this House. Her insistence on reading it into the Official Report and taking up my scarce time to block any significant supplementary question is the kind of abuse that I brought to the attention of the Ceann Chomhairle when the Minister was in the House yesterday. I asked the Minister a simple question — if any of the Minister's previous pupils had given the reply that she has given in the junior or leaving certificate, they would have got an F for failure. Is the Minister seriously telling me that the entire Department of Education and Science cannot say how many prefabricated buildings there are in the primary school system, simpliciter? Is it 1,000 or 5,000? There are 3,300 schools — is the figure 10% or 20% and, if so, what age are the buildings? Is the Minister saying the information is not readily available?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I too am entitled to my time to answer questions and have two minutes in which to do so, and I am happy to take that two minutes.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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How well we know it.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The situation is exactly as I have outlined to the Deputy. All the information is held on individual files in the Department and there are approximately 3,200 files on primary schools so I cannot give him a ready answer. I have given him the amount of money spent, which is only 5% of the overall budget. We are undertaking a review within the Department, as part of which we are examining each individual file to get the information necessary to consider issues such as the break-even point, introducing a buy-out, the most economical approach, and renting as opposed to purchasing.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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This is incredible. If the Minister was running any kind of management organisation, she would be in serious trouble at this stage. To say that the information is not readily available is unbelievable, having regard to the fact that she established a building unit specifically to study this issue. If I put this question down for a written reply, over which I have no control, in a fortnight's time will the information be readily available then?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I assure the Deputy that as soon as the information is available, I will be happy to give it to him. We do not have a central knowledge of it because individual schools which have individual boards of management are responsible for acquiring the buildings. They seek permission from the Department, get three tenders, have to take the cheapest tender and then put up the building. In some cases, the school may no longer have use for the building as a classroom but opt to keep it to use as a store room, etc. As soon as the information is available, I will be happy to give it to the Deputy if he wishes to ask another question.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I ask the Minister please not to abuse her position by blaming the boards of management in individual schools.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I am giving the Deputy the factual situation.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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We and the Minister's backbench are inundated by schools who cannot get any kind of answer on whether to go ahead with a proposal. Her Department has the information and she refuses to make it readily available. She will not even give me a commitment to go through the 3,200 odd files in two weeks. If the Minister could say four weeks, I could live with that, but she refuses to give the information. She is abusing her position of being accountable to this House.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I can only repeat that a centralised inventory is being developed. The information is being gleaned from the 3,200 files. There is a significant number of building projects this year. We are spending €600 million——

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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This is a diversion.

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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It is a mantra.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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It is important that our building unit prioritise the work it must do. If the Deputy wants to ask another question, I will be happy to give it to him as soon as the information is available.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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That reply is worthy of the Kremlin.