Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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6. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools which will remain in prefabricated accommodation outside of her Department's five-year plan; if she will provide an update on her Department's site acquisition processes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37921/14]

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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The question relates to the progress and the delays with the five-year plan for the school building programme.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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My Department's overriding objective is to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place and that our school system is in a position to cope with increasing pupil numbers. To ensure this is achieved, the delivery of major school projects to meet significant demographic demands nationally will be the main focus for capital investment in schools in the coming years. However, even despite the enormous financial challenges which have been faced in recent years, two iterations of the prefab replacement scheme were funded by my predecessor. Under the prefab replacement initiative 2012 and 2013, approval was given to 217 schools - 209 primary and eight post-primary - to replace 614 prefab units with permanent accommodation. In excess of €56 million has been allocated to these initiatives. Information in regard to the number of schools which will still have purchased prefabs at the end of the five-year capital programme is not readily available.

Where the need for a school site is identified, in general the Department requests the assistance of the local authority under a memorandum of understanding whereby the local authority acts on behalf of the Department. Sites have also been acquired by direct negotiation with landowners, through the education and training boards or, occasionally, working with OPW. The focus is always on due diligence in regard to technical assessment and conveyancing, achieving the best value for money for the Exchequer, while also having regard to the timeframe for delivery of the school.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I will be the first to acknowledge there has been increased funding in this area and that we are seeing a number of new schools coming on stream, although obviously, not at a quick enough pace to address the under-funding of capital projects down through the years.

On the issue of long-term planning, which I touched on in committee while the Minister was present, I do not believe the five-year plan is adequate as it is too short term. When we are planning for demographic change, we can tell what the population trends and the needs will be ten years down the line. I raised the possibility of not just developing a five-year plan but of looking at five, ten, 15 and 20-year plans for capital projects in education.

At the committee, the Minister, Deputy O'Sullivan, said the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government was due to bring forward some proposals around the planning process. As she is aware, one of the biggest issues for school building programmes is the planning aspect and the delays in that. Can the Minister give us a further update on that?

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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On the planning issue, the Minister, Deputy Kelly, proposed the general scheme of a planning Bill, some elements of which address some of the problems in terms of speeding up the process.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I have not seen that.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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He also announced that he is going to review An Bord Pleanála on the basis that it has not been reviewed since it was established.

With regard to the five-year plan, as the Deputy knows, that comes to an end at the end of next year and I have already started to look at how we might move towards the next five-year plan. I intend to work on that early next year in particular so we are in a position to announce it at some point during 2015 in time to ensure that schools can then move forward with all of the planning and preplanning they have to do.

With regard to planning, it is helpful that there is a memorandum of understanding with the local authorities because it means they can engage in a proactive way to identify appropriate sites that are properly designated for educational purposes. By and large, that is a positive move. We are all aware of situations where, for one reason or another, an education project is held up and does not proceed as quickly as we would like. Wherever we can iron out those issues, we should do so, although without changing the quite correct approach to planning that we have in terms of the right to appeal.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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In her response, the Minister might touch on the possibility of extending the five-year plans and looking at even longer-term planning for school capital projects.

I cannot let this issue go without touching on the whole area of the workers involved in building schools. The Minister is well aware, as I am sure every Deputy is, of the ongoing issue in regard to the dispute at Kishoge Community College. It is unacceptable that the Department of Education and Skills would in effect wash its hands of this issue-----

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Sorry, this is Question Time.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Yes, and I am going to ask the question. It is unacceptable it would wash its hands of this issue by stating that the contract which the Department takes out is with the main contractors and it has no responsibility over the subcontractors which are employed by that main contractor.

The Department should have a responsibility to ensure every worker working on a school building project is being paid adequate rates, is unionised and the proper terms and conditions are in place. Any other response from the Department is washing its hands of the issue.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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With regard to the longer-term plan, one issue is changes of government. In the past, new governments of whatever hue came in when previous governments had promised things but not provided funding. We do not want to go back to those days. Whatever plans are in place, we want to make sure funding is in place to go with them.

With regard to the sites, I will meet the Minister of State, Deputy Gerald Nash, today to discuss the work of his Department in respect of registered employment agreements and a number of general issues arising in this context. I cannot comment on the specific situation of one particular site. I am anxious to see what can be done.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Does the Minister agree it is unacceptable?

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I want to see what can be done. New legislation in the area is promised and we all agree that we want to see it on the Statute Book as soon as possible.