Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 525: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding the Government's public private partnership programme; and her views on the way it will affect schools. [38628/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased that my Department is participating in the Government's programme on Public Private Partnerships (PPP) as I believe PPPs have significant potential in relation to: Developing new ideas on design which arise from the output-based approach; Testing value for money over the life-cycle of the projects rather than just construction; Allowing educationalists to concentrate on their core functions; Optimising the allocation of risk in areas such as planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation of education facilities.

Overall, I am satisfied that these objectives were realised in my Department's Pilot PPP programme and in general the outcome has been positive. Many of the lessons learned in developing the original school bundle PPP project and other education PPPs have been incorporated into my Departments school building programme, including a greater emphasis on sustainability, whole life cycling and improved use of circulation and social space in schools.

My Department are involved in further PPP projects in consultation with the National Development Finance Agency who now have responsibility for the procurement process. Currently, applications by interested bidders in respect of a bundle of four schools are being evaluated and I announced the second bundle of PPP school projects today consisting of six schools on five sites.