Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 801: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the cost of putting a prefab into a primary school; and if this represent good value for money; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10914/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The information sought is not readily available in the format requested by the Deputy as the costs involved for individual schools are site specific. However, if the Deputy wishes to request details on a specific school or schools, my officials will provide the required information.

The expenditure on prefabricated buildings by my Department represents less than 5% of the total expenditure on school buildings, €1.6 billion, over the five-year period in question.

The demand for additional accommodation in schools has risen significantly in recent years mainly due to the rapid expansion in teacher numbers, particularly in the area of special needs, the growth in the school-going population in rapidly developing areas and the demands to cater for diversity through the recognition of new gaelscoileanna and Educate Together schools.

The current focus within my Department is to empower schools to resolve their accommodation needs, wherever possible by way of permanent accommodation. In order to reduce the amount of temporary accommodation at primary level a new initiative was launched in 2003. The purpose of this initiative is to allow primary schools to undertake a permanent solution to their classroom accommodation needs and to achieve the best value for money. The feedback from the 20 schools in that pilot initiative was very positive and the initiative was expanded considerably in subsequent years to the extent that 75 schools have been invited to participate in the 2006 scheme. As a result of this initiative the amount spent on the purchase of prefabricated buildings in 2004, for example, was just half of what had been spent in 2003.