Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 208: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the evaluation her Department has carried out in advance of her announcement of the public private partnership school building programme, on the cost effectiveness and lessons to be learned from the schools built already using this model; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32758/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has conducted a rolling review, evaluation and monitoring process of the first school bundle PPP project from project delivery through the first three years of the operation phase. This process involves regular meetings with the school principals both as a group and individually, regular meetings with Jarvis personnel and detailed review of the monthly reports for each school provided by the operator as provided for under the project agreement.

In addition, an interim evaluation report on the operation of the schools post occupancy is at present being undertaken on each of the five schools. This covers the operation of the contract on the ground and any issues of concern that have arisen. In terms of educational impact the schools will be examined as part of the programme of whole school evaluation, WSE.

An initial value for money audit of the project was undertaken by the Comptroller and Auditor General. This report was undertaken with the full co-operation and participation of my Department and is a welcome addition to the overall knowledge base on PPPs. The report by the Comptroller and Auditor General covered the pilot bundle of five schools from inception, through contract negotiation to completion of construction, but not the operation phase. His work has already informed the revision of the Department of Finance guidelines for future PPP procurement. Furthermore, the Minister for Finance has decided that the NDFA will establish a centre of expertise and procure the next phase of school projects to be delivered by PPP.

It is important to recognise that the PPP contract covers a 25-year period and that by definition an all encompassing value for money test over the full life cycle of the buildings can ultimately be carried out only with the passage of time. The Comptroller and Auditor General recognised this in his report on the project when he stated that "ultimately, the full value for money represented by the grouped school project will be determined over the 25-year life cycle of the project".